As you button up your home for winter, consider spending some time doing energy tests to find the places where warm air escapes and cold temperatures seep inside. Learning these weaknesses and remediating them will cut your heating bills and ensure comfort all winter.
Look for Leaks
Closely examine the exterior walls in each room for obvious signs of cracks or gaps that could let air enter from the outdoors. Ill-fitting windows and their frames, cracks around baseboards, and electrical outlets are common places for air infiltration. More places include:
- Pipes entering the basement or foundation.
- Vents from bathrooms or kitchens.
- Recessed lights.
- Ductwork.
Caulk around cracks and smaller gaps and use expanding foam to seal larger gaps, making sure that the foam is heat- or fire-rated. Uninsulated and leaking ductwork cause significant energy losses.
They should be repaired by a licensed HVAC contractor, who can conduct detailed energy tests. They use specialized equipment designed to measure minute areas of infiltration and thermal losses by pressure testing the home and using thermographic devices.
Visit the Attic
Adequate insulation in the attic slows the movement of heat from your home into the attic. The ideal amount of insulation is between 16 and 20 inches in the attic. It should be spread evenly and show no signs of mold or compaction.
When doing the energy tests in the attic
- Check the levels at intervals using a ruler.
- Look for bare spots around pipes, wires and vents.
- Verify that the fresh air vents aren’t blocked by insulation.
While sealing air leaks is fairly easy, you may want to ask a contractor to install new insulation. Besides the limited space in most attics, installing it poses some challenges to ensure that it will provide all the protection it provides. Safety is also an issue if you have wiring that runs through the attic.
Performing energy tests is important to improve overall efficiency and lower heating and cooling costs. To learn more, contact Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning, providing HVAC services for Lorain-area homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy tests and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area