The Most Common Places for Heat to Escape Your Home
As colder temperatures start in Michigan, the last thing you want to deal with are the same cold temperatures in your home. However, it is common for heat to escape your home from many different places if you do not have proper insulation or air sealing. This leads to an uncomfortable environment and cold floors throughout your home. In order to combat this, most homeowners tend to turn up the thermostat even higher to get a warmer temperature which in return increases energy usage. This problem can easily be remediated by pinpointing the areas of your home where the heat is escaping from and taking proper action to seal these places in your home. Let’s get started exploring what causes heat loss in your home and understanding how it works.
What causes heat loss in homes?
Heat loss in a home can be caused by a couple of different things. The first being poor insulation. You may not think to check on your insulation or even worry about it until winter weather comes around. It is possible that the insulation was not properly installed allowing heat to escape or that the quality of insulation is poor. Both problems create a likely way for heat to escape. Another way that heat can be lost in a home is through cracks and crevices that are not air sealed. While you might think the heat is only escaping from your unsealed windows or doors, there are many different places where heat can escape your home.
Where are the common places where heat can escape?
In order to begin solving your problem of heat escaping, you must figure out exactly where the heat is escaping from in your home. While you may have a few ideas already in your head about where it’s getting out, we’re here to list the most common places where heat can escape.
Attic
Heat in your home rises bringing it right up to your attic if there is not proper air sealing or insulation. If there are cracks or improperly placed air vents, this will allow heat to easily get out through the roof of your home.
Walls
Since the walls of your home are in contact with the outside temperature, it is easy for heat to escape this way. This is why home builders will put a secure layer of insulation in between walls and the outside to prevent this from happening. However, if this insulation is lacking or poor, heat will continue to get out through your walls.
Floors
On the other hand, floors have quite the opposite effect than the attic. Heat rises and escapes up and out through your attic, and what goes out must come in. The cold winter air will be drawn in at your floor and after you pay to heat it, that air will escape up and out. Sealing the rim joist with closed-cell spray foam is the best way to air seal and insulate the holes and cracks at the top of your foundation.
Hidden Leaks
While windows and doors may seem like the most common area for heat to escape, they usually have much smaller leaks than the other hidden areas of your home. You can easily see the doors and windows and feel their minor leaks. However, you can not see the hidden bypasses that may exist behind your walls or even create a heat loss pathway from your crawl space all the way up to your attic.
How to prevent heat from escaping your home?
If you are aware that there are places in your home where heat is escaping, the good news is that there are two different ways you can fix this problem. Our home experts at Ecotelligent can visit your home and clearly identify the areas, even the hidden spots, in your home where heat is escaping by conducting an energy audit. From there, we will provide an effective solution for fixing these issues. Our air sealing services include sealing any hidden gaps or cracks within your home. This will help prevent your beloved heat from escaping your home this winter. Another valuable service is getting the proper insulation in your walls and attic. Our knowledgeable team can assess your home and help you decide which type of insulation would be best for you.
Have more questions?
If you still have additional questions about your home and heat escaping, feel free to contact us and we will be glad to answer any questions. You can schedule a home energy audit with us today to get started finding those hidden spots in your home allowing heat to escape. Don’t settle for an uncomfortable home environment this winter, let us help you be comfortable year-round in your home!