Heating your Calgary home accounts for a large portion of your energy bill, and taking steps to reduce your heating costs can leave you more money for the little pleasures in life.
A leaky home envelope allows cold air from outside to infiltrate your home, reducing your comfort and taxing your HVAC system as it works overtime to compensate for lost air. Sealing these air leaks has far-reaching benefits:
- It reduces your energy costs.
- It increases your comfort level.
- It reduces noise from outside.
- It reduces allergens entering your home.
Weatherizing Windows Goes a Long Way Toward Energy Savings
Windows are a major source of air leaks in your home. Weatherizing windows will go a long way toward reducing air loss in your home. All you need is an afternoon and some simple supplies:
- Silicone caulk.
- Rope caulk.
- Expandable caulk for large gaps and cracks.
- Window insulation kits if you have no storm windows.
Begin With the Exterior
Examine the exterior of your windows for large cracks and gaps, and seal these with expandable foam. Use the silicone caulk to seal along the seam where the windows meet the exterior wall. If you have storm windows, install them to help outside keep air outside.
Move Indoors
Just as you did with the exterior of the windows, seal around the interior window frames with silicone caulk where they meet the wall. Open the windows, and install weatherstripping at the top and bottom to form an impenetrable seal. Use rope caulk to seal the movable parts of your windows. You can remove it in spring. Finally, install the window sealing kits if you don’t have storm windows or if your home is particularly old or your windows are very drafty.
Consider an Energy Audit
A professional energy audit pinpoints the locations where your home is losing air. An energy audit can help you take the necessary steps to adequately seal and insulate your home. For more information about an energy audit or weatherizing windows, please contact us at Arpi’s Industries, proudly serving the Calgary area.
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 TOPIC and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide.
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