ON THE HOUSE
By Arnie Katz
Does air leak into or out of your house? Here’s how to find where it’s coming from
First, let me say that sealing these holes is a fine thing to do. It will cut down on drafts, make your house more comfortable and probably save a few bucks on your energy bills. I suppose it’s possible that there are cases where someone can save that much by sealing wall holes — very cold, windy climates (northern Montana comes to mind) with very high fuel costs and a house with a lot of holes in the walls. But for most homes in a mild climate like North Carolina’s, you can expect much more modest results from these measures. There was a study in Texas a few years back that claimed to “prove” that installing foam outlet covers reduced heating and cooling costs by more than 25 percent. Unfortunately, several other studies have been done to verify the first one, and the savings are much, much, much lower. When you think about it, any air that’s getting into or out of your house around the electric boxes is getting in somewhere else first. Usually, it’s coming in around the holes at the top or bottom of the wall where the wires go through. If your house was built in the last 10–15 years, it’s likely that those holes are sealed, because it is a fire code requirement that has been actively enforced. If your house is older than that, it’s likely that those holes were not sealed. Going up in the attic and down into the crawlspace or basement to seal them will be much more valuable than the foam gaskets. But it’s also a lot more work, and who wants to go into a dusty attic, balancing on narrow joists and looking for holes? Or worse, who 26 APRIL 2011 Carolina Country
TogetherWeSave
Q: A:
I just read a magazine article about reducing your energy bills, and it says I can save up to $150 a year by spending about $7 on foam gasket covers for electric outlets and some spray foam for sealing holes in the walls around outdoor faucets and wiring. Is this for real?
A well-insulated attic keeps air leaks from your ceilings and wall to a minimum. wants to go down into a damp crawlspace, breathing mold and keeping an eye out for spiders? Sealing air leaks can save lots of money, but usually the easy ones to get to are the least important. The holes in the top of the building are the most important, and while you’re up there, look for the really big holes — such as open chases for duct work or plumbing or around chimneys, dropped ceilings above cabinets or showers or closets. Do an Internet search on “attic bypasses” and you will find a lot of information on where to find these holes and how to cap and seal them. This stuff about big savings from small, easy fixes like outlet covers and caulking around windows has been circulating since the 1970s. The folks who write these things are well meaning, trying to give people something easy
to do. This is fine, as long as you’re not disappointed when you don’t see big changes on your bill. If you don’t want to risk falling through the ceiling or crawling through the muck under your house, there are people you can call. A number of small businesses have emerged offering these services. Every county has a Low Income Weatherization Program, with people trained to diagnose and fix these problems. Ask your electric cooperative or the N.C. State Energy Office where to find them: (800) 662-7131. In some areas, these programs use private contractors who will work directly for homeowners as well.
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Arnie Katz is director of training and senior building science consultant at Advanced Energy in Raleigh (www.advancedenergy.org). Send your home energy questions to editor@ carolinacountry.com