Sealing Air Leaks In Your Home Can Have a Real Impact on Energy Consumption

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As the year progresses, you may be wondering how to minimize energy consumption in your home.

You may be surprised to learn that air leaks in your house can significantly affect your energy efficiency, as well as indoor air quality. The good news is that you can seal air leaks in a few simple ways.

Identifying Air Leaks

There are many places in your home where air can sneak in, including around:

  • Doors, including garage doors
  • Windows
  • Air conditioning and heating units and vents
  • Mail slots and other portals
  • Switch plates
  • Fireplaces and chimneys
  • Foundation cracks
  • Faulty insulation

There are a few simple ways to check these areas for leaks. You can shut off your HVAC system and light a candle near the edges of doors and windows. If the flame flickers, you may have a leak.

Duct leaks are more apparent when you notice a stuffy room or that your A/C or furnace are running full-blast but don’t seem to be adequately cooling or heating your home. And check your insulation. If it’s wet, you may have a leak — and the insulation needs to be replaced.

Sealing Air Leaks

Sealing air leaks can be simple. Since doors and windows are a more obvious source of leaks, start with caulking and weatherstripping those areas wherever you’ve spotted leaks. Install foam gaskets behind switch plates to tackle those leaks. For vents and chimneys with air leaks, use sheet metal, sheet rock or caulk that’s specifically designed for these surfaces. Finally, if you suspect a leak in your insulation, or if you find your insulation is inadequate, spray foam insulation is a good addition to repair the leak and prevent buildup of mold or mildew.

If you want to save money and improve your home’s energy efficiency, seal air leaks as soon as you find them. If you have questions about this task or any other home comfort issues, contact the experts at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve been serving the greater Cincinnati area since 1910.

Image via Shutterstock.com

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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