Growing up, our only heat source at home was a wood stove. For a number of years my bedroom happened to be the farthest from that stove, and some winter nights were pretty chilly. I quickly learned that the best way to stay warm was to wrap myself in a cocoon of thick blankets, with all the edges snugly tucked under my body so that no cold air could reach me. If I missed even a tiny corner, I definitely felt it! That experience taught me the value of air sealing on a small scale, and illustrates why air sealing our buildings is also important. 

 

Air sealing & controlled ventilation are probably the biggest performance improvements one can make in a building, and they affect all kinds of things: energy use, comfort, occupant health, and durability of the structure.

 

• Air leaks typically account for anywhere from 25% to 50% of heating & cooling use in a building
• Air leaks are one of the major paths for outside noise to enter a home
• Air leaks cause drafts and hot or cold spots in a home
• Air leaks bring in pollen, dust, and anything else that happens to be in the air
• Air carries a great deal of moisture with it, and when warm moist air meets a cold surface, that moisture condenses into liquid water. Liquid water in your building assembly eventually leads to mold and rot that can remain undetected for many years. Not only can air leaks cause mold, but due to their very nature air leaks can also pull mold spores into your home 
• The other part of air sealing is having controlled ventilation to the building through an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator). It brings in fresh air through a filter & exhausts stale air from the home while recovering much of the energy in the air during the process.   

 

~ Seth McCanse