Mills Efficient Home

Air Sealing

Properly sealing your house can reduce your heating and cooling bills by as much as 30%, according to the Department of Energy.

Air leakage or infiltration occurs when outside air enters or exits a house uncontrollably through cracks and openings. Properly sealing these gaps in your home can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs, improve building durability, create a healthier indoor environment and increase the value of your home.

After conducting a blower door test to identify problem areas; cracks and gaps must be sealed up to control air infiltration.  Beyond the use of door and window weatherstripping, there are many gap-filling products available, from latex caulk to silicone caulk, insulating foam to backer rod.  When filling gaps, using the correct type of caulking or foam material is critical to achieving immediate results as well as lasting performance.  Typical areas that need caulking are windows, doors, and baseboards, or miscellaneous cracks in drywall and around cabinetry.

Insulating foam is another great way to seal gaps in a home, however, unlike caulking, foam is more appropriate for larger gaps that might be found around pipe penetration under a sink or in a water heater closet.  Expanding foam or gap stuffing is very effective at stopping air leaks, and it is relatively easy to work with.

While they may be the most obvious and easiest to fix, windows, walls and doors are not the only culprits of leaking air. Even many renovated homes have severely outdated duct systems that are pumping air into your attic. Improper duct suspension and creases in the ducts themselves eventually cause rips and tears. Old duct tape degrade over time, weakening joints and previously repaired openings. A duct efficiency test will determine exactly where your ducts are damaged and allow us to repair them.

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