When the holiday season rolls around, there’s nothing more important than having a warm, comfortable home that’s well-protected against the cold and snow outside.
If your house was cold and drafty last winter, it could be due to poor insulation and air sealing. Homes that aren’t sealed and insulated properly let the cold right in. If you don’t want to host Jack Frost at the holiday table again this winter, keep reading to find out how insulation and air sealing can help!
How Do Insulation and Air Sealing Work to Keep Your House Warm?
Insulation is the key to keeping your house warm in the winter. Heat moves from warmer areas to colder ones naturally, so without something to stop it, the heat from your furnace will always be trying to escape your home and move toward the colder temperatures outside. Insulation works by slowing this process down so less heat escapes and your house stays warmer. Insulation should be installed at the very top and bottom of your home (in the attic and basement or crawl space) as well as in the walls to protect your home from every angle.
Most homeowners understand that insulation is important (even though around 90% of all single-family homes in the US are underinsulated). Air sealing, however, flies under many homeowners’ radar.
Heat moves in multiple ways, including by air. But insulation can only stop heat that moves by conduction (heat moving from one material to another). To stop warm air from seeping out of your home in the winter, you need to air seal. Air sealing is the process of closing up the small gaps and cracks that are formed when homes are built. They’re common along rim joists, in attics, around plumbing and wire penetrations, and in many other locations. Sealing them up is an important step in improving your home’s comfort.
Find Out Whats Causing Your Home Comfort Issues with an Energy Assessment
If you’re dealing with issues like indoor drafts, cold floors, or drastic temperautre differences between different rooms in your home, it’s safe to say you have an insulation and air sealing problem. But before you can resolve it, you need to know exactly where air leaks and insulation gaps are located. A home energy assessment can give you this information.
An energy assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of your home’s energy efficiency. Using specialized tools like a blower door and infrared camera, energy assessmentors pinpoint problem areas so they can be fixed.
Insulation Man is a certified energy assessmentor in Binghamton, NY. Following your energy assessment, we can recommend and implement the most cost-effective solutions to improve your home’s comfort and efficiency so you can get the most bang for your buck!
