Preventing air and temperature leakage around your home is crucial to improving your energy efficiency, maintaining and improving indoor air quality, and helping prevent energy loss in the form of escaping cool or warm air.
There are many ways a home can leak air, so let’s take a look at them today and how you can perform a super seal from top to bottom that will completely solidify your home against air leakage and as a result, improve your energy efficiency by a great deal.
1.Doors
Doors can leak a significant amount of air, especially through the gaps beneath them. By attaching some weatherstrips to the bottom of your doors, or using a door snake to block the gaps beneath your doors, you can prevent these drafts from occurring, especially if you have rooms that you aren’t heating. Sealing gaps around doors can also be effective if you use a product like the AirDam, as it provides protection on both sides.
2. Windows
Windows leak a lot of air. Caulk the corners of your windows to make sure no air is escaping in the spaces between the glass panes. For the bottoms and sides of your windows, an AirDam would again be the best choice. This product provides dual protection against air drafts and is designed to work on both windows and doors.
3. Ceiling
This is one area people tend to neglect when addressing air leakage. The ceiling and roof can play a big role in preventing temperature leakage, as heat tends to rise. Having the proper insulation in your roof such as polyiso insulation can help add an extra layer of protection that traps heat inside and prevents it from escaping through the attic. This insulation is designed to be more heavy-duty than your average fiberglass insulation.
4. Framing System
House wraps are a solution for those of you who don’t already have a wooden framing system, but if you’re able to build a house from the ground-up, the best choice for the framing system in regards to preventing air leakage would be an ICF setup.
Insulated concrete forms are locked together and work to create an air barrier that is incredibly durable and airtight. This wall system is durable to handle tornados and hurricanes and eliminates problems like warping, mold, and rot within the walls as well.
Keep Good Air in and Bad Air Out
With the right air leakage prevention setup, you can guarantee that you are maximizing the quality of your air while improving your energy efficiency as well. By attacking the problem from angels, you can create a super sealed home that tests extremely well in airtightness while reaping some additional durability benefits as well.
By upgrading your roof with polyiso insulation, using an ICF wall system, Installing some AirDams from Prosoco, and caulking your windows, you can create the ultimate seal that keeps the air you breathe clean and consistently comfortable. It will also improve your carbon footprint as well.
