One of the best ways you can improve the comfort of your home and lower your energy bills at the same time is to find and seal air leaks. It’s a simple job that you can do yourself and can have significant benefits.

All About Air Leaks

Air leaks are exactly what they sound like, air going in and out of your home through holes and cracks in its exterior. During the hottest seasons, you lose your precious air conditioned air, while in the winter your heat escapes and is replaced by frigid air.

To check for air leaks, you should inspect both the interior and exterior of your home. Some leaks will be obvious from a simple visual inspection (large cracks or holes), but most, especially indoors, will need a more thorough inspection.

One option is to feel around with your hand, but this can be difficult. A more effective option is to light an incense stick or candle and watch if the smoke blows as you move it around.

Finding Air Leaks

It doesn’t make sense to cover every square inch of your exterior wall looking for leaks, it’s impractical. Instead, focus on the areas that are most likely to have significant leaks:

• Windows
• Doors
• Outdoor faucets
• Electrical outlets
• Baseboards
• Vents

Once you find them, it’s usually simple to fill them with caulking or weatherstripping.

When to Call in a Professional

While you can and should look for leaks on your own, it’s also wise to occasionally have an expert come to your home and perform a blower door test. While you can find a few major leaks, this test will reveal many more and allow you to make a significant improvement in your home’s air tightness.

The HVAC professionals at Powers Heating and Air can help you check for air leaks in your Peachtree City home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Greg-McGill/Shutterstock”