Introduction
Tired of those cold spots in the winter? What about the cool air that always seems to escape your house on the hottest day of summer? Do you also keep feeling a pesky draft that chills you to the bone during the spring and fall? If so, it may be time to invest in air-sealing your home.
What is air-sealing?
Air sealing is the process of identifying weak spots in your home that are prone to leaking air. These leaks aren’t just frustrating. They’re costly, too. But don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Did you know that 90% of homes in the United States are under-insulated?
Your HVAC already works hard. But improper insulation means that 20% of the work your HVAC is doing is literally going right through that single pane window, thin ceiling, and right out the door.
Air sealing your home means having even and consistent temperatures throughout your home, improved air quality, and lower energy bills.
Now that you understand the implications of poor insulation, let’s find out exactly why your home needs this.
Reason #1 – Reduce Air Transfer
There are many areas where air can be escaping throughout your home, and it’s crucial to identify these.
Air transfer in the home could be from any number of places, and all need to be considered. Areas of your home including the roof, subfloor, windows, exterior doors, and exterior walls are all likely culprits of air leakage. Unfortunately, this problem can cost you money and a lot of discomfort in your own home.
Air transfer can easily be combated in a few simple ways. One way is to air-seal your home with low-cost solutions like caulking around windows and installing weather strips on exterior doors. While this may help in a pinch, these solutions are only temporary.
Reason #2 – “Right-Sizing” Your HVAC Unit
Did you know that your HVAC can be the wrong size for your home?
With 84% of all homes in the United States having an HVAC system to regulate the temperature, some are bound to be the wrong size for the home.
If you’re experiencing air loss in your home, it’s possible that your HVAC system isn’t the right size for your home. Having an HVAC system that’s the wrong size could mean that it isn’t working the way it’s supposed to.
But isn’t it okay to have a larger HVAC? Not quite. Having a larger HVAC system can still lead to problems.
How?
Having too large of an HVAC system could lead to “short-cycling”. That means your HVAC only operates in small bursts increasing humidity and leaving you breathing stale, clammy air.
Air-sealing your home can help. Deciding to invest in air-sealing your home is a choice that will save you money by allowing your HVAC system to function more efficiently and lower your operating costs.
Reason #3 – Avoid Expensive Home Repairs
Air-sealing your home can save you money, and help you feel more comfortable in the sweltering heat or the bitter cold. But what about other things?
The goal is to keep air in and leave the outdoors outside. With air-sealing with products you also keep out unwanted house guests like bugs, moisture, and rodents. Keeping this at bay will help avoid any damages to the structure of the house like mold and insect damage, repairs that can cost you thousands.
Pro tip: Choose The Right Insulation
Long-term investments like re-insulating your home can be a major undertaking. There is a lot of information out there, and all that information can make things confusing. Let’s check out some things that may have you going, huh?
R-Values 👉These let you know how well the insulation is doing its job. The higher the R-value, the better it works.
Open-cell vs Closed-Cell 👉 Open-cell foam is softer and designed to fill the smaller, hard-to-reach areas of a house. Closed-cell foam is a harder foam meant to increase the overall strength of a structure.
Knowing these details can help you make an informed decision before making a major investment.
Many manufacturers offer both open and closed-cell spray foam with a variety of R-Values. For example, manufacturers like Accufoam offer an open-cell spray foam capable of spraying up to 18 inches with an R-value of 61, making Accufoam’s spray foam insulation incredibly effective, protecting your home from extreme conditions and pesky intruders year-round.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to air seal your home. Some of the most common reasons are reducing air transfer within your home, helping your HVAC unit to work more efficiently, and saving you money on future repairs that can be costly.
Now that you know there’s a solution to those bone-chilling drafts, inconsistent heat, and you over-tired HVAC, it’s time to make the call and ask a professional about new insulation.
