Insulation & Air Sealing: The Most Important Home Improvement You Can Make

By properly insulating & air sealing, you make your home much more comfortable, energy-efficient and save money, too!

By insulating & air sealing first, you will make your home more comfortable and reduce your utility bills for years to come. Plus, you'll be able to install a smaller furnace or air conditioner when it's time to replace that equipment. As a result, this saves you even more. A comprehensive energy audit scientifically determines how much air leakage exists in your home. Plus, audits identify the current insulation levels and quality of installation, along with improvement solutions.

Insulation & Air Sealing Remain the Primary Reason for Home Discomfort

The number one reason homeowners call GreenHomes America is to solve comfort-related issues. Do any of these apply to you?

• Rooms in your home that are always hot in the summer and/or cold in the winter, no matter how long their heater or air conditioner runs?
• In the winter, do you have cold floors, or feel drafts in certain parts of your home?
• Are you generally uncomfortable in your home?
• In the summer, do you have rooms that are 10 to 15 degrees hotter than the rest of the house and/or muggy air indoors?

The second reason homeowners call GreenHomes America is high utility bills. Do you pay more each month than you want to in the winter or summer?

Typically, the primary reason for home discomfort relates to massive air leaks in the attic, along with insufficient attic and wall insulation. Plus, the air leaks and lack of insulation mean higher heating and cooling costs.

Air Leaks in the Home

Insulation doesn't work with air flowing through it. Don't even consider adding insulation without addressing air leaks first!

Air leakage, or infiltration, occurs when outside air enters a house uncontrollably through cracks, gaps, and openings. Most homes have the equivalent of a large open window in combined air leaks in their attic alone!

Many air leaks and drafts are easy to find because they are easy to feel — like those around windows and doors. But holes hidden in attics, basements, and crawlspaces are more difficult and a bigger problem.

Frequently, warm air generated by the heating system rises into the attic around recessed lights, ceiling fans, attic access doors, and registers. Unfortunately, the homeowner pays for this heat in their attic! This is not something any of us want to do.

Issues with Attic Air Leaks

Up in the attic, there are always large holes and gaps that the builder never sealed and you'd never know about. As an example, often attics contain a chase, which was likely intended to hold pipes and wires that run from the attic to the first floor. Unfortunately, not only is it not being used but it allows air to freely move back and forth between the attic and the living space of the home (this is not what you want).

In thermal imaging, blue areas represent cold air, while yellow and red areas mean hot air. In the summer, images illustrate how cold air created by the air conditioner makes its way to the attic. As a result, all of this cold air escapes from the living space and enters the attic. Conversely, in the winter, the reverse process takes place. Warm air created by the heater rises into the attic. Also, recessed canned lights remain a major source of air loss. In particular, homes with 10, 20 or even 30 recessed lights mean major air loss. Air not only leaks around the opening but also through the fixture itself.

These types of holes, gaps, and cracks remain prevalent in the attic and people wonder why their utility bills are so high and rooms are uncomfortable.

To find these penetrations, we use blower doors and infrared cameras. These tools are highly effective at detecting hidden air movement and thermal deficiencies.

To permanently fix issues, GreenHomes America seals penetrations that exist in the attic using foam boards, spray foams, Tyvek or Typar, and other sealants to ensure the warm and cold air you are paying to create stays out of the attic.

What our Customers Say:

We recently had insulation installed in out attic through Green Homes. Your work crew also sealed all the cracks and installed baffles to insure proper air flow. We were very pleased with the results and also the work habits of the crew. They were prompt or called if they were running late. They put down drop cloths to protect our floors and made sure they cleaned up completely. They were courteous in answering all of our questions. They could not have been better.

We have told friends and family about the good service we have received through your company. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Tom and Suzanne M.