Sealing Air In Homes, Residential Housing Air Leak Prevention

Why Seal a House?

For most residential single family homes simple air leaks are a major contributor to energy loss. This lost energy leads to uncomfortable living and higher utility bills. The typical home can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs (or up to 10% on annual energy costs) by sealing air leaks. For certain areas around the country that experience extreme weather, the savings could even be more.

Some of the most common air leaks are found around doors and windows, electric receptacles on exterior walls, attic hatches, duct registers in floors, walls and ceilings.

On exterior doors check the weather seal around the opening. Simply replacing old and worn weatherstrip is a cost effective way to weather seal this area. Using polyurethane foam in 12 oz cans to seal duct registers and other air gaps is a very inexpensive and effective way to seal leaks in these areas. Foam tape which comes in a variety of sizes is a great way to gasket the area around attic access hatches. This helps keep the conditioned air out of the attic. This is the air you pay each month to heat or cool. One of the most cost effective ways to seal air leaks is by installing gaskets around electric receptacles on exterior walls. These gaskets are made from polyurethane foam and fit outlet and light switches. For a small investment (typically less than a dollar each) this item has one of the greatest returns and is very easy to install.

More information on air sealing your home can be found at www.energystar.gov.

About the Author

Ken Tate currently is general manager of Service Partners Supply in California (www.weatherizationsp.com).  He has over 20 years experience in manufacturing and distribution of weatherization products throughout North America.