January 25, 2018
When was the last time you thought about weatherizing your house? As the recent ice storm here in the Austin area reminds us, winters in Texas can be harsh. That’s why it’s important to assess how resilient your home is to rain, ice, and winter winds. Even when small gaps and air leaks don’t seem to have a significant impact on the integrity of your home, they can greatly undermine indoor comfort. Weatherstripping is one of the most cost-effective things you can do to eliminate drafts and enhance overall home comfort.
What You Can Do Yourself
Though you won’t be able to weatherize your home entirely on your own, there are a few steps you can take. The first step in weatherstripping is identifying air leaks. Leaks can occur in any area where building materials meet, such as around windows, doors, electrical outlets, and openings to unconditioned areas of the home (e.g., the crawlspace, garage, or attic). Look for areas where drafts frequently occur, and for gaps around pipes and wires. You may notice areas where caulking is starting to crack, or where weatherstripping seems to have worn down completely.
There are many weatherstripping materials available if you choose to begin weatherizing your home yourself. You may use strips of adhesive-backed foam around doors and windows, door sweeps at the bottom of entry doors, specialized padding behind electrical plates, and foam sealant on larger holes and cracks.
When to Hire a Professional
If you truly want to target all of the air leaks in your home, you’re going to need the help of a professional. A certified technician can help you locate hidden air leaks during a home energy audit. Often, the total air leakage in a home is equal to leaving a window open year-round; so you may be surprised by just how much air leakage your technician finds!
Once you know exactly which areas of are letting air in and out, a professional can use high-end materials to completely air seal your home — even in hard-to-access areas. Professional air sealing includes weatherstripping around doors, sealing gaps in light fixtures, sealing around plumbing penetrations, reducing air leakage around attic access points, and more.
We Can Weatherize Your Austin Area Home
As one of the most cost-effective home efficiency improvements out there, professional air sealing is truly one of the best ways you can weatherize your home while on a budget. At Green Collar Operations, our team of certified experts can help you maximize your home comfort with professional energy auditing and air sealing. Whether you want to avoid DIY weatherstripping work or you want to make your home as airtight as possible, we’re here to help!