Air Sealing and Ventilation

Overview

Properly air sealing your home is critical to getting the most out of your insulation, and to making your home as efficient, green and comfortable as possible. Ventilation may also be necessary to make sure your house isn't sealed too tightly.

Details

Air sealing is often one of the most cost effective ways to make your house more energy efficient. Unless your home was built in the last 5-10 years, there are probably major air leaks in the living space and in the building shell. Older homes can be extremely leaky, so that the hot or cold air that your heater or air conditioner puts out is mostly blowing out of the house!

Air sealing needs to be evaluated and done by a professional because a home does need some ventilation so that the air isn't too stagnant. If an older home is sealed too tightly, a mechanical ventilation system — sometimes called an Energy Recovery Ventilator — may need to be added to ensure healthy air quality. The right first step is to get an in-home energy audit to determine how much air leakage your home currently has and how much of that leakage can be safely sealed to maximize your utility bill savings and minimize your carbon footprint.

If you're adding insulation to improve the efficiency of your house, be sure to talk with a professional about air sealing at the same time. Without air sealing, your new insulation may be much less effective.