Bill Grove
DCL
Air leaks are never a good thing. No one has ever said, "If it wasn't for that air leak, we'd all be very poor and ugly." Astronauts and rafters live in special fear of air leaks. And, we, the in-home livers should also dread what air leaks can do to us. They cost us money and waste our precious energy resources.
By reducing the amount of energy we use, we can cut down on emissions and preserve this planet. Checking your home for air leaks is the sensible first step towards making a reduction in your heating and cooling emissions and costs. You'll know where your house is leaking and be able to make pinpoint adjustments instead of, say, replacing all your single pane windows with double or triple pane windows. Once you know where to plug the leaks, you will also be able to budget the repairs and installations needed to quash them.
The US Department of Energy has graced us with a list of common places where air is apt to leak.
1.Dropped Ceiling
2.Water and Furnace Flues
3.Window Frames
4.Recessed light
5.All ducts
6.Electrical outlets and switches
7.Attic entrance 8.Door frames 9.Plumbing and utility access 10.Sill plates 11.Chimney flashing You can check for air leaks by holding a tissue where you think there might be a draft. The draft, if present, will blow the tissue around. Or you can light a stick of incense near suspected drafts and see if the smoke zips out of the hole. There is also a device known as a smoke gun that is made for detecting air leaks. It shoots smoke. Like a gun.
