Winter is almost here, and that means that once again your family starts concentrating in certain rooms of the home. These are the coziest rooms because they’re the least drafty. A home that feels cold or drafty in areas is not good for the home of your family and can cost you hundreds in utility bills.
By eliminating these drafts and air leaks, you can significantly increase the efficiency of your home and the comfort of its residents. The trick is finding the leaks or drafts so you can seal them. Here’s some advice on pinpointing drafts and leaks.
Tips for Finding Leaky or Drafty Parts of the Home
Get the Obvious Ones Out of the Way
Some obvious offenders are obvious like mail slots, pet doors, and other areas that have direct contact with the outside without a proper seal. Remove these in the winter by finding temporary gaskets or seals. Fido isn’t going out in 10-degree weather anyway. The other main offenders are windows and doors. This one is simple too, run your hand along the seals and edges to check for leaks or drafts. Seal them up to prevent them from wasting your money. Garage doors and doors to the exterior should be properly weather stripped and form a complete seal.
Getting “High Tech”
Let’s step up our game and get high tech, with a candle. Turn off your homes HVAC system, close all windows and doors, and walk your home with a lit candle. The flame will dance when you’ve entered a drafty area or if a slight breeze is blowing. You’ve found your drafts. You can also pick up a draft detector at your local home improvement store, but the candle is much more fun.
Actually Getting High Tech
If you’re serious about shutting down the air leaks, it’s time to get a high tech for real. Call your local HVAC company to perform an energy audit to pinpoint drafts in the home. HVAC companies use infrared cameras to identify and seal cold spots. If you’re determined to eradicate all leaks, you can also ask your HVAC to perform a “blowout” in your home where the home is depressurized, but infrared cameras are more than enough for most situations.
You want to save money this winter and keep all parts of the home comfortable? Take care of the drafts. Attack obvious draft offenders first before getting high tech with a candle and even more high tech with your local HVAC and an energy audit. By sealing your home up, you’ll be much more comfortable in your home no matter what’s happening outside.
