Are you losing money while trying to heat your Nashville home?

2/16/2016 (Permalink)

Your home may be safe from water leaks and damage, but could still be experiencing air leaks. Air leaks are small cracks or spaces in your home that allow the air to escape, making it harder to keep your home warm in the winter or cold in the summer. As the air sneaks out of the home, it causes your furnace or air conditioning unit to work harder and use more energy to push air consistently throughout the home in order to replace the air that is leaking. There fortunately are ways to take care of these air leaks and remedy your situation. These leaks can be taken care of by weather stripping your Nashville home.

Weather stripping is the act of applying material to joints in areas of your home, such as windows or doors to keep air from escaping. The first step to begin weather stripping is finding the origin or the air leaks. Energy.gov gives a list of some areas of the home to inspect and what material is best to use when blocking these leaks.

Common air leak locations

Interior

• Electrical outlets

• Switch plates

• Door and window frames

• Electrical and gas service entrances

• Baseboards

• Fireplace dampers

• Attic doors

• Vents and fans

Exterior

• All exterior corners

• Outdoor water faucets

• Where siding and chimneys meet

• Areas where the foundation and bottom of the exterior meet

Once you find the origin of the air leaks, it’s important to find the appropriate material to use for weather stripping the specific location of the leak. Vinyl and metal may be more expensive than a cheap felt or foam material, but will hold up and last longer, especially in high traffic areas of the home. Check out the list of 14 different weather stripping options that are available to keep your energy bill low at Energy.gov.