Close the door! You’re letting all the air out! Remember hearing that as a kid or saying it to your own? No matter how well your home is constructed, your home has gaps, cracks, joints and seams where air can squeeze through causing unwanted drafts. When you add them all up, it is like leaving a door or window open year round! Your home is losing energy and it is costing you money and comfort. These drafts or air infiltration can account for 30% or more of a home’s heating and cooling costs and can contribute to problems with moisture, noise, dust and the entry of pollutants and insects. Be leery of contractors offering free air sealing or partial air sealing. You get what you pay for! It’s not easy to properly seal an attic so do it right one time. Reducing these drafts will significantly increase comfort, reduce your annual heating and cooling costs, improve building durability, and create a healthier indoor environment. It most cases, Air Sealing should be done before you add insulation in your attic.
We get a lot of calls and emails from homeowners who are approached by companies marketing a radiant barrier or foil insulation as a solution to high energy bills. Most of these companies are not ‘real’ insulation or home performance companies but sophisticated telemarketers. We know, because they call us to install the products for them. It’s a very slick sales presentation but do your homework. They use high pressure sales techniques to get you to sign today. A radiant barrier most likely will never achieve the utility savings these companies promise. 9 out of 10 times, the priority should be to air seal your attic, ducts and install additional insulation and then if still want to spend money, consider a radiant barrier. There are certain applications where a radiant barrier can be a useful if installed correctly. A properly installed radiant barrier in your attic works with the air sealing and insulation to create a system that resists all three forms of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiant). Give us a call, we are always happy to come out to discuss your particular comfort concerns.