For what the typical family wastes every year on air leaks —
about $350 — you can plug energy-robbing gaps, start saving
money, and enjoy a more comfortable home.
A typical family spends about a third of its annual heating and
cooling budget — roughly $350 — on air that leaks into or out
of the house through unintended gaps and cracks. With the money you waste in just one year, you can plug many of those leaks
yourself. It’s among the most cost-effective things you can do to
conserve energy and increase comfort, according to Energy Star.
Start in the attic, since that’s where you’ll find some of the biggest energy drains. Then tackle the basement to prevent cold air
that enters there from being sucked into upstairs rooms. Finally,
seal air leaks in the rest of the house. Here are eight places to start.
1. INSULATE AROUND RECESSED LIGHTS
3. CLOSE GAPS AROUND FLUES AND CHIMNEYS
Building codes require that wood framing be kept at least 1
inch from metal flues and 2 inches from brick chimneys. But that
creates gaps where air can flow through. Cover the gaps with aluminum flashing ($12) cut to fit and sealed into place with hightemperature silicone caulk ($14). To keep insulation away from
the hot flue pipe, form a barrier by wrapping a cylinder of flashing
around the flue, leaving a 1-inch space in between. To maintain
the spacing, cut and bend a series of inch-deep tabs in the cylinder’s top and bottom edges.
4. WEATHERSTRIP THE ATTIC ACCESS DOOR
A 1/4-inch gap around pull-down attic stairs or an attic hatch
lets through the same amount of air as a bedroom’s heating duct.
Seal it by caulking between the stair frame and the rough opening, or by installing foam weatherstripping around the perimeter
of the hatch opening. Or you can buy a pre-insulated hatch cover
kit for stairs ($150) or doors ($350 and up).
Most recessed lights have vents that open into the attic, a direct route for heated or cooled air to escape. When you consider
that many homes have 30 or 40 of
these fixtures, it’s easy to see why re“A typical family spends about a third 5. SQUIRT FOAM IN MEDIUM
searchers at the Pennsylvania Housing
-SIZE GAPS
of its annual heating and cooling budResearch/Resource Center pinpointed
them as a leading cause of household get — roughly $350 — on air that
Once the biggest attic gaps are
air leaks. Lights labeled ICAT, for “insu- leaks into or out of the house through
plugged, move on to the mediumlation contact and air tight,” are already
size ones. Low-expansion polyuresealed; look for the label next to the unintended gaps and cracks. With the
thane foam in a can is great for plugbulb. If you don’t see it, assume yours money you waste in just one year, you
ging openings 1/4-inch to 3 inches
leaks. An airtight baffle ($8 to $30) can plug many of those leaks yourself.”
wide, such as those around plumbing
is a quick fix. Remove the bulb, push
pipes and vents. A standard 12-ounce
the baffle up into the housing, then
can ($5) is good for 250 feet of bead
replace the bulb.
about 1/2-inch thick. The plastic straw applicator seals shut within two hours of the first use, so to get the most mileage out of a
can, squirt a lubricant such as WD-40 onto a pipe cleaner and stuff
2. PLUG OPEN STUD CAVITIES
that into the applicator tube between uses.
Most of your house probably has an inner skin of drywall or
plaster between living space and unheated areas. But builders
6. CAULK SKINNY GAPS
in the past often skipped this cover behind knee walls (partialheight walls where the roof angles down into the top floor),
Caulk makes the best gap-filler for openings less than 1/4-inch
above dropped ceilings or soffits, and above angled ceilings over
wide, such as those cut around electrical boxes. Silicone costs the
stairs.
most ($8 a tube) but works better next to nonporous materials,
such as metal flashing, or where there are temperature extremes,
Up in the attic, you may need to push insulation away to see if
as in attics. Acrylic latex caulk ($2 a tube) is less messy to work
the stud cavities are open. If they are, seal them with unfaced fiwith and cleans up with water.
berglass insulation (less than $1 a square foot) stuffed into plastic
garbage bags; the bag is key to blocking airflow. Close large gaps
“Building codes require that wood
with scraps of drywall or pieces of reflective foil insulation (less
framing be kept at least 1 inch from metal
than $2 a square foot). Once you’ve covered the openings, smooth
flues and 2 inches from brick chimneys.
the insulation back into place. To see these repairs in action, consult Energy Star’s DIY guide to air sealing.
But that creates gaps where air can flow
through.”
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