Weatherization 101
Whole-house weatherization is adding insulation to the walls, attic, and basement of your home and sealing up all the air leaks where heat escapes. It can also mean installing a more efficient heating/cooling system when the time comes to replace your old one.
Air Sealing
This is simply finding and sealing up air leaks with materials you can buy at a hardware store, like a foam gun, foam board, caulk, pipe wrap, plastic, tape, outlet plate insulation, and so on. You can do a lot of this yourself, or you can ask a handyperson or your contractor when they do the insulation. Your energy auditor can help you identify where you have leaks. Common spots are foundations, rim joists, attics, knee walls, doors, windows, crawlspaces, and all the holes created by ducts, wiring, and plumbing. Click here for some videos we like on 9 ways to seal your home.
Insulation
Once you start looking into insulation, you’ll hear about these 4 types:
- Fiberglass Batts. The most common kind of insulation. Lasts 15-20 years and costs $1,000-$2,400. Average $0.30-$1.50 square foot. Can also be made of natural fibers, mineral wool, and plastic. Good for laying on your attic floor.
- Loose-Fill/Blown In. Lasts 15-20 years and costs $1,000-$2,100. Can be used in walls, ceilings, crawlspaces, attics, and hard-to-reach places.
- Foam Board. Lasts up to 80 years and costs $2,500-$7,500. A lot sturdier than batts and nearly double the R-value of any other material of the same thickness. Can be used in any part of the house.
- Sprayed-In/Foamed-In Place. Lasts a lifetime and costs $1,300-$4,000. Good for walls.
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“My insulation contractor did a blower test on my 1910 bungalow. The test after the air sealing was done showed 60% less air flow than the ‘before’ test just a few hours earlier. The next year my utility costs went down almost 40%, from $2,253 to $1,375. I also replaced a dying gas furnace with a heat pump. But that 60% reduction in air flow has got to account for a significant chunk of my savings.”
Dody Adkins-Perry
Retired Municipal Employee and Local Volunteer
DID YOU KNOW?
25%-45% of the energy used for heating and cooling an average home is lost to air leakage. That’s like having a window open year-round and letting your money fly out the window!
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