Reducing the amount of air that leaks in and out of your home with air sealing is a cost-effective way to cut heating and cooling costs, improve durability, increase comfort, and create a healthier indoor environment.

Home Air Leaks

Home air leakage occurs when outside air enters and conditioned air leaves your house uncontrollably through cracks and openings. Home air leakage also contributes to air quality and moisture problems that can affect occupants’ health and the structure’s durability. An added benefit is that air sealing cracks and openings reduces drafts and cold/hot spots, improving comfort.

What is Home Air Sealing and how can it Save Energy?

Home air sealing is important because air leaks through the walls, floor, and ceiling of your home. Air leaks out of your home when the air pressure inside the home is greater than the air pressure outside the home. Air also travels from hot to cold. The bigger the hole and the greater the pressure or temperature difference, the more air leaks.

Air Sealing is restricting the passage of air through the walls, floor, or ceiling so the home is more energy efficient and the process of heating or cooling the home takes less energy and less money.

Remember when your mom yelled at you for leaving the front door open and said something like, “shut the door, we don’t want to heat the whole outdoors.” Well, if you knew how many air leaks were actually part of your home, you would be interested in sealing them.

Although you find obvious home air leaks, it is the large hidden penetrations that dominate air leakage. Air leaks can be rather straight forward, passing directly through a wall, floor, or roof at one location. Or they can be indirect, beginning at one location and exiting at another. Have you ever felt cold air coming through a light switch on an interior wall? Now, that’s an indirect air leak.

The blower door test that we perform during the Energy Audit is designed to measure the amount of air leakage in your home. It is almost pointless to perform other energy efficiency upgrades without first adequately sealing your home.