Chances are that the answer to this question is “Yes!” For most people, your house is leaking money. Have you ever noticed that as soon as your house gets to your desired temperature the thermostat turns the system off and it only takes a few minutes for the thermostat to turn the system on again? This is because the house is not holding the conditioned air inside long enough. Why is this happening? It is because most homes have not been built to hold this conditioned air in and to be energy efficient.
To understand why this is happening we need to understand how heat moves.
Heat moves from more to less. When it is warmer inside than it is outside, heat wants to flow and leak out. When it is hotter outside than inside, heat wants to flow in. The goal is to keep the warm air in during the winter and to keep the heat out in the summer. Achieving this first goal is the first step to slow the money leak and create a more comfortable home.
The question is, how do we slow the money leak? Some may think that to fix this problem that we simply need to add more insulation. The fact is that most insulation will not stop air flow, and the ones that do may not be practical for existing homes or what is best for your home environment. A good place to start is to seal the air penetrations on the attic floor. Did you know that up to 75% of air can leak into the attic in the winter? When air escapes into the attic it must be replaced, so it pulls cold air in from the outside. This is one reason the thermostat keeps turning on and off. There are other issues that contribute as well, but for the sake of a short article I will leave it at that.
So, what is the solution? Do your research. Find a contractor that understands these principles and will inspect your whole house as a system, not just try to sell insulation. You deserve a company that has your best interest in mind and will slow the air leakage for a more comfortable, energy efficient home.
