Insulation and Air Sealing
You can reduce your home’s heating and cooling costs through proper insulation and air sealing techniques. These techniques will also make your home more comfortable.
Any air sealing efforts will complement your insulation efforts, and vice versa. Proper moisture control and ventilation strategies will improve the effectiveness of air sealing and insulation, and vice versa.
Therefore, a home’s energy efficiency depends on a balance between all of these elements:
- Air sealing
- Insulation
- Moisture control
- Ventilation.
A proper balance between all of these elements will also result in a more comfortable, healthier home environment.
Air Sealing
Air leakage, or infiltration, occurs when outside air enters a house uncontrollably through cracks and openings. Properly air sealing such cracks and openings in your home can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs, improve building durability, and create a healthier indoor environment.
It is unwise to rely on air leakage for ventilation because it can’t be controlled. During cold or windy weather, too much air may enter the house. When it’s warmer and less windy, not enough air may enter. Air infiltration also can contribute to problems with moisture control. Moldy and dusty air can enter a leaky house through such areas as attics or foundations. This air in the house could cause health problems.
The recommended strategy in both new and old homes is to reduce air leakage as much as possible and to provide controlled ventilation as needed.
Air Sealing an Existing Home
Air sealing is one of the most significant energy efficiency improvements you can make to your home. Air sealing will not just reduce energy costs; it will also improve your home’s comfort and durability.
Before air sealing, you should first do the following:
- Detect air leaks
- Assess your ventilation needs for indoor air quality.
You can then apply air sealing techniques and materials as needed, including caulk and weatherstripping.
Air Sealing for New Home Construction
Air sealing is an important factor when constructing an energy-efficient home. These are some air sealing techniques and materials:
- Air barriers
- Airtight Drywall, and Simple Caulk and Seal
- Caulking
- Weatherstripping.
Before developing an air sealing strategy, you should also consider the interaction between any air sealing materials and techniques with other building components, including the following:
- Insulation
- Moisture control
- Ventilation.
Insulation
Properly insulating your home will not only help reduce your heating and cooling costs but also make your home more comfortable.
You need insulation in your home to provide resistance to heat flow. The more heat flow resistance your insulation provides, the lower your heating and cooling costs.
Heat flows naturally from a warmer to a cooler space. In the winter, this heat flow moves directly from all heated living spaces to adjacent unheated attics, garages, basements, and even to the outdoors. Heat flow can also move indirectly through interior ceilings, walls, and floors—wherever there is a difference in temperature. During the cooling season, heat flows from the outdoors to the interior of a house.
To maintain comfort, the heat lost in the winter must be replaced by your heating system and the heat gained in the summer must be removed by your cooling system. Properly insulating your home will decrease this heat flow by providing an effective resistance to the flow of heat.
An insulation’s resistance to heat flow is measured or rated in terms of its thermal resistance or R-value.
Source: U.S.DOE
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