I was nervous when my equipment had a breakdown. Your crew went out of their way after hours to quickly get me back to normal fast. PDM Discount Club works.”

Energy Saving Tips: Stop Air Infiltration

Air infiltrates through every nook and cranny.

About one third of this air infiltrates through the openings in your ceilings, walls and floors. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save 10 percent or more on your energy bills just by plugging air leaks in these places in your home.

• Ceilings, walls and floors - 31% of air infiltration
• Air ducts 15%
• Plumbing pipe penetration 13%
• Fireplace 14%
• Fans and vents 4%
• Doors 11%
• Windows 10%
• Electrical outlets 2%

Eliminate air leaks—then insulate.

If you don’t tighten up your building first, money spent on insulation may be wasted.

You may think that insulating should be the first step in making your home more energy efficient, but consider this: Air leaks through the ceiling, walls, foundation and other areas typically are the greatest sources of heat and cooling losses in a home. So, controlling air leaks is the best way to extend the life of your home, as well as to conserve energy, save money and increase your home’s comfort. The bottom line is this: If you don’t tighten up your home first, money spent on insulation may be wasted.

Did you know trying to plug an air leak with fiberglass insulation won’t work very well, because the material is not a good air barrier. Use solid materials such as caulking, spray foam, drywall, plywood or rigid foam to stop air infiltration.

Ventilation is a good thing—air infiltration is no. 

Every home needs some fresh air for the furnace and appliances that burn fuel, for getting rid of excess moisture and reducing odors and stuffiness. Controlled air exchange is called ventilation. A large amount of air is exchanged in uncontrolled and invisible ways, too, through hidden cracks and openings present in every home. This is called infiltration, and it occurs in three ways.

1. Wind-driven infiltration happens during cold-weather months when the wind blows cold air into a house and forces hot air out. During warmer weather, the wind blows in warm air, forcing cooler air out.
2. Chimney effect infiltration takes place during the natural process of convection. As warm air rises and escapes through cracks, it pulls cold air into the lower portion of a house.
3. Negative air pressure infiltration starts when appliances that burn fuel use air for combustion or when ventilation fans exhaust air. Outdoor air enters through any available openings to equalize the pressure inside a home.

Air infiltration usually causes drafts and a chilly feeling in some rooms during the cool weather months. Adjusting your thermostat will not stop the drafts, but sealing hidden cracks and openings will. By stopping drafts at their source, you’ll stay warmer (or cooler in summer) at lower thermostat settings, use less fuel and reduce your utility bills.

Where do you start? 

Air infiltration is an easy form of heat loss to correct. Just make a careful inspection of your home and use some inexpensive weather stripping, caulking and filler materials. We know we should caulk and weather-strip, but it is also equally important to protect from interior air leaks. Moist interior air can enter the walls and ceiling through cracks and holes, and condensation buildup in those locations can damage or destroy insulation, wiring, wood and other building materials.

Test for air leaks.

A windy day is a good time to check for air leaks (or hire a professional energy auditor). The most complete energy audit includes a blower door which is a large fan that fits tightly into an exterior doorway. It depressurizes the indoors, which then causes air to flow in through the cracks and other openings. You’ll feel for airflow with you hand or by using a smoke pencil and noting where the smoke is blown.

If you don’t have a blower door, try closing all the windows and doors and using a whole-house fan (if you’re interested in learning about whole home fan, call or email PDM. They are a wonderful comfort machine.) or a large portable fan temporarily sealed in an open window to exhaust the air from your home. Use your hand or a lighted incense stick to look for leaks. The test won’t be as accurate as the professional test, but it can get you started.

Once air leaks are located, start plugging them.

A good rule of thumb is to start by plugging holes and leaks in the attic and basement. Then move to the exterior walls, and look for smaller leaks around doors, windows and electrical switches and outlets.

• Attic – look for holes in floor, insulate doors.
• Plumbing piping entering/exiting home from basement to attic can be sealed with expanding foam, if large opening use board or rigid foam than caulk.
• Fireplace – can waste more than it creates. Improve seal of damper. Light paper and see if smoke goes up. Tight fitting glass doors can improve efficiency by 10 to 20 percent and reduce air leaks
• Exterior walls caulk (silicone) around tops of interior walls

Keep heated and cooled air in your ducts. 

The ductwork for a forced-air heating and ac system can be one of your home’s biggest energy wasters—especially if those ducts run through unheated or uncooled spaces.

• Check the ducts for air leaks. Repair leaking joints first with sheet-metal screws; then seal remaining leaks with latex-based mastic and embedded fiberglass mesh or mastic or aluminum tape. Don’t use plastic or cloth duct tape because it will harden, crack and lose its adhesion in a very short time.
• Wrap the ducts with special duct insulation; don’t use leftover insulation from other jobs.
• Seal all insulation joints with the appropriate tape—not duct tape.
• Make sure ducts fit tightly to the register openings in floors and walls; if they don’t, seal with caulk.
• Seal return ducts, too, so you won’t be breathing basement or crawl space air.

Insulate your pipes.

The longer they run through unheated spaces, the faster the hot water pipes from your water
heater or hydronic heating system will cool, causing these systems to work harder than necessary to meet your family’s needs. Use inexpensive foam insulation sleeves from your hardware store or home center to insulate these pipes; secure the insulation with duct tape.  For boilers and steam heating system pipes, use insulation with a high enough temperature rating so it won’t melt.

Tune-up your heating and ac equipment annually.

Dirt is the biggest cause of wasted energy and breakdowns. Safe is always a better response than sorry. Call PDM for professional tune-up today. It can pay for itself in energy savings and give you peace of mind!