One of the best-kept secrets to increase whole-house energy efficiency is sealing air leaks. Why? Because the costs of heating and cooling your home can add up to over half of your total energy budget, and air leaks around your home simply let the energy you’ve already paid for escape.
Sealing air leaks will increase whole-house energy efficiency, putting a stop to energy loss in all seasons.
Where to seal to increase whole-house energy efficiency
It’s fairly easy to find air leaks in your home. Because most homes tend to leak in the same locations—as construction materials shift or protrusions are made in the home’s exterior to accommodate various systems — you can use the list below to locate common air leaks:
- Ceilings, floors and walls (the most common areas to leak air)
- Ductwork
- Fireplace and its flue
- Plumbing pipes
- Doors
- Windows
- Fans or vents
- Electrical outlets
- Basement rim joists
- Attics
- Attic entryways
Steps to increasing energy efficiency
If you suspect that you need to increase whole-house energy efficiency because of energy lost to what are truly unnecessary air leaks, the good news is that sealing these leaks is pretty easy, and most homeowners should be able to take on the project.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Using the list above, mark where you suspect leaks.
- Use caulking to seal smaller cracks less than a few centimetres in size.
- Larger gaps require expanding foam spray to fill in the area.
- Apply weatherstripping on door frames to create a tight seal.
The bottom line of whole-house energy efficiency
In the end, when you keep more heated air inside of your home during the winter, your furnace can take it easy, instead of working overtime to compensate for the energy loss. The same process occurs in summer: When you run your air conditioner, it won’t have to counteract the heat gain that air leaks allow.
Need to increase whole-house energy efficiency? Contact the experts at Arpi’s Industries today to speak to one of our efficiency experts or to schedule a free home consultation. We’ve been serving greater Calgary-area homeowners for almost 50 years.
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 sealing leaks for whole-house energy efficiency and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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