When the weather gets cold, heat loss from your home can result in substantial amounts of wasted energy and money. Not only do you lose air you’ve already paid to heat, you have to pay again to heat more air to make up for the loss. This puts unnecessary stress on your heating system, causing the equipment to malfunction more frequently and wear out early. Here are some suggestions you can use to identify and fix heat loss in your home.
- Find and seal air leaks: Conduct a do-it-yourself energy audit on your home or hire a professional to conduct a more thorough audit. The goal of an energy audit is to find out where you use the most energy and to locate any areas where energy is being lost or wasted. Look for drafts in areas around doors and window frames, where wires or pipes enter your home through the wall, or where the attic floor and foundation meet the house frame. Seal cracks, holes, gaps and openings with caulk. Add rubber sweeps to the bottoms of doors to stop drafts. Put foam or rubber weatherstripping around doors and windows to seal gaps that can let warm air escape.
- Increase insulation: An energy audit can also reveal where you need more insulation in your walls, floors, ceiling and roof. Increase the amount of insulation to more effectively keep heat inside your home. Make sure your attic is well insulated to prevent heat loss in this space. Insulate HVAC system ductwork and plumbing pipes, especially hot water pipes.
- Seal HVAC system ductwork: Make sure each section of HVAC system ductwork is fitted together snugly and that all connections are sealed with mastic or metal tape. Leaks in the ductwork can prevent most or all of the warm air produced by your HVAC equipment from getting into your home.
Arpi’s Industries Ltd. has been providing expert HVAC services to customers in Calgary and the surrounding communities for more than 50 years. Contact us today for more information on preventing heat loss in your home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Calgary, Alberta about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat loss and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide.
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