If you’ve ever felt a cold draft in your home, you know that even a small hole in your insulation can cause heat to escape. In the winter, this can lead to higher heating bills as your furnace works overtime to maintain a comfortable temperature. In the summer, drafts can make your air conditioner work harder than necessary, driving up your energy bills. That’s why it’s important to have a tight home envelope – one that doesn’t allow heat to escape through holes or cracks.
How Drafts Affect Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
Drafts are caused by air leakage, which occurs when outside air enters your home through cracks and openings. This can happen around doors and windows, through electrical outlets, or even in the attic or crawl space. Once the air is inside, it mixes with the warmer air inside your home and causes the temperature to drop. As a result, your furnace or air conditioner has to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature, which uses more energy and drives up your utility bills.
How to Seal Cracks and Holes in Your Home’s Envelope
Fortunately, there are ways to seal cracks and holes in your home’s envelope so that heat doesn’t escape.
One of the easiest ways to keep your home warm is to seal off any drafts. A quick walk around your house with a candle can help you identify any areas where there might be drafts.
One way is to use weatherstripping around doors and windows. This is a narrow strip of material that fits snugly against the door or window frame, creating an airtight seal that prevents drafts from coming into your home. You can also use caulk around electrical outlets and other openings. Caulk is a thick, malleable material that can be used to fill in gaps and cracks of all sizes. Once it dries, it forms an airtight seal that will prevent drafts from entering your home.
Let in Some Sunlight
Once you have tightened up your home envelope during the day, open up your curtains and let in some sunlight. The sun’s rays will help warm up your home naturally. Just be sure to close them back up at night so that you don’t lose any heat through the glass.
Sealing drafts and holes in your home’s envelope is essential for maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature year-round – not to mention keeping your energy bills under control. By using weatherstripping and caulk around doors, windows, outlets, and other openings, you can create an airtight seal that will prevent heat from escaping through cracks and holes. As a result, you’ll stay comfortable indoors while saving money on your energy bills.