Have you ever started to feel uncomfortable in your home in the middle of winter and you are certain the temperature is fluctuating when you are just sitting there? You may have air leaks in your home. The gaps you find around windows and doors add up, sometimes equivalent to a 10″ x 10″ hole. That would be the same as leaving a small bathroom window open all year long.
Look beyond windows and doors. The tiny space where walls meet the floor, around electrical outlets, and ceiling can lights are additional places air can be leaking into or out of your home. By stopping these leaks you can reduce your home’s heating and cooling bills as much as 40%.
How do you go about this? Caulking, weather stripping, and gaskets are inexpensive places to start.
Caulking is perfect for window frames, door frames, baseboards, or any location where air leaks can be found and there are no moving components.
Weather stripping is great for the moving part of a window or door. It typically comes in rubber, foam, or felt. In the spaces in your windows you can install the self-sticking foam where the fixed part of the window meets the moveable window pane to seal the air leaks when it is closed. In the case of door thresholds, the sweeping style weather stripping can be installed simply with a hammer and nails.
Gaskets are pre-cut to the shape of electrical outlets and ceiling light fixtures. Blocking where the air is escaping will save you money and add to your comfort in the long run.
Other places to check would be to make sure that your fireplace flue is working properly; dryer vents and exhaust fans like bathroom and kitchen vents are all sealed from both the inside and out.
When we install new heating and cooling systems, we do a leak test on the ductwork. Part of that process is that we seal all of the vents where they attach to the sheetrock. If you haven’t had us do an installation of new equipment in the past 15 years or more, this is something you can do yourself. Check out an example of how to correct minor duct leaks. We also offer a stand alone service of inspecting and sealing the ductwork without replacing equipment. If you’d like to learn more please feel free to reach out to us by phone or online.