Sealing Air Leaks in Atlanta
Sealing Air Leaks
Additional Opportunities for Energy Savings
The combination of sealing major areas of air leakage and wrapping a water heater can add significantly to the overall efficiency gains from increasing the home’s insulation. Yet most insulation contractors never address these issues in the home.
General air leakage throughout the home, caused by holes around plumbing fixtures or wiring, can be responsible for as much as 15% of energy loss in a home. According to some studies, enough air escapes from a typical house every day to fill two blimps. Consequently, when combined with proper insulation, sealing air leaks can contribute to significant savings in utility bills as well as improved comfort (eliminating those annoying drafts).
Air leaks around plumbing fixtures or wiring can be filled with foam.
Water Heaters
Heat escaping from a water heater is a significant source of energy loss and wasted money in the home.
The job of a water heater is to provide hot water to a household. A water heater works by keeping a tank of water at a constant heated temperature. When water in the tank starts to cool, the heater turns on to reheat the water. Wrapping the heater in an insulating blanket causes the water to cool much slower, which means that the heater does not have to run as often.
Wrapping a water heater will reduce water heating costs even if the water heater is located in a conditioned space. That is because a water heater is typically set to maintain water temperature at between 1000 to 1200. Wrapping the water heater allows it to maintain a higher temperature more consistently.
According to the Department of Energy, wrapping an insulating blanket around the water heater can reduce the cost of water heating bills by up to 9%[8].
[8] Some contractors will claim that wrapping a water heater can save up to 10% of total heating costs. The fact is that, according to the Department of Energy, it can save up to 9% of total water heating costs.
Insulation and Windows
