by Alan Dykes

Created on: August 28, 2010

One of the most effective ways to winterize your home is by sealing air leaks. The great thing about this method we are going to tell you about is also very useful in the summer. Before we begin let me explain to you a little about air movement

HEAT moves from hot to cold.

AIR moves higher to lower pressure.

MOISTURE moves from wetter areas to drier areas.

With this being said let me explain a little bit about building science. Building science is the study of the interaction between occupants,building components/systems and the environment while focusing on the flow of heat, moisture, and air. Confused yet?In simple terms we try to keep cold out in the winter, hot out in the summer, and try to keep our humidity in our homes at a comfotable level.We will be focusing on the main building envelope which is the exterior walls and the cieling between your living area and the attic.

One of the best ways to look for air leaks is to have a blower door test run. This has to be done by a professional.But there is a way to run a test using your central air unit. Follow these steps and you can check for some simple ways to check for air leaks.Why would you want to run this test?Remember we want to keep hot air out in summer and cold air out in the winter. Your central unit makes up for about 41% of your utility bill. That is almost half!

1) Close all interior doors, exterior doors and windows and make sure your unit is running.

2) Go to one of the interior doors and open it just enough to see if you feel air moving out of that room. This is air leaving the room to travel to the unit air return. The unit helps circulate air throughout the house.If you cannot feel the air check your filter at the air return of your unit you may need to change the filter.

3) After you feel that you have good air flow and you feel it leaving the interior rooms to the air return now is the time to check the exterior doors. Do you see a crack or feel air coming in from the outside? then you need to check the weatherstripping on the doors.

4) Now check around any fireplace openings that you may have.

5) Check around each exterior window to see if you feel any air coming in.

6) This may seem funny but check around your electrical and switch outlets also.

7)Now check around all your ceiling fixtures (lights,fans,etc.)There may be air coming around these from your attic and we all know how hot it gets in the attic!

8) Caulk and seal any air leaks that you may have.

Remember how you felt air moving out of the interior rooms? That is what is happening with the air coming in from the exterior doors and windows.Also heat moves from hot to cold.In the summer hot air tries to come in to cold air and tries to go out to cold air in the winter!

Hope you try this and good luck!

HAPPY CONSERVING!

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