How Air Sealing & Insulation Work Together

When it comes to preparing your home for Michigan’s cold winter or hot summer, you might consider your home’s insulation and whether air sealing has been done or not. These are two important factors that directly contribute to your home’s energy performance. Improving your home’s uneven and uncomfortable temperatures can be resolved with these two things. Some people might think that maybe only great quality insulation is needed or only sealing any cracks is needed however, we are here to tell you that insulation and air sealing actually go hand in hand. These two upgrades work together to create a comfortable environment in your home for you and your family.

What’s the difference between air sealing and insulation?

In order to fully understand how air sealing and insulation work together, it’s important to first understand the differences between these two. While they are both upgrades that can help improve your home’s temperatures, they have different purposes.

Air Sealing

Air sealing involves identifying the places in your home where there are leaks, cracks, and crevices that are allowing air to escape from your home. From there, these places are properly and tightly sealed by a professional to ensure that this air does not continue to escape. If left alone, these areas of your home can allow heat to escape creating drafty floors, windows, and more.

For proper air sealing, there are a few different materials that can be used to successfully achieve no air leaks. Some of these materials that could be used include:

  • Caulks
  • Foams
  • Plywood
  • Drywood
  • Housewraps
  • Polyethylene

Insulation

On the other hand, insulation is for regulating the heat flow in your home. This keeps any unwanted summer heat from getting into your home and keeping your heat inside of your home during winter months. There are many different types of insulation options that all have their own features and strengths. If your home doesn’t have proper insulation, heat would be able to freely go in and out of your home at any time.

There are different types of insulation that you can choose to put in your home with each type offering different benefits. The main types of insulation for your home include:

  • Spray foam insulation
  • Blown-in insulation
  • Blanket batts and rolls insulation
  • Foam board insulation
  • Reflective or radiant barrier insulation

If you are interested in learning more about the different kinds of insulation for your home, please visit this article.

What are the benefits of air sealing and insulation?

While each of these home upgrades offer benefits on their own, by putting these two together you will be able to experience even more benefits throughout your home. Some of these benefits include the following:

  • Consistent and comfortable temperatures throughout your home
  • Less use of heating and cooling units in the winter and summer months
  • Helps with soundproofing your home for additional quietness
  • Improved home energy efficiency and performance
  • Potential to lower your overall energy costs

These are just some of the major benefits that come along with proper insulation and air sealing.

What areas of the home can benefit from air sealing and insulation?

There are a lot of great benefits that you get from air sealing and insulation. Certain areas of your home will benefit more from combining these two services. These areas of the home include the following:

  • Attic: This area of your home is one of the places where you can experience the most air leakage. Proper insulation and air sealing can significantly increase your home’s efficiency and reduce temperature differences between the 1st and 2nd floors.
  • Crawlspaces and basement: By pairing insulation and air sealing you make these spaces, and the floors above them, more comfortable. Bonus: air sealing helps to keep the bugs and critters out of these spaces too.
  • Air ducts: Homeowners can lose so much air through poorly sealed air ducts. With the right sealing, your home’s comfort and efficiency will improve.
  • Windows: An obvious place, but one that is sometimes overlooked when it comes to air sealing and cracks.
  • Doors: Similar to windows, this area can have air leaks if not properly sealed.
  • Fireplace: Fireplaces are often enjoyed for their warmth and heat in the home, but what about when they are not in use? Air can escape easily, and cold air can be let in through your fireplace.

Ready to air seal and insulate your home?

If you are ready to take the next step to improve your home’s comfortability and potentially lower your energy costs, we can help you with a professional consultation. We offer air sealing and insulation options that will help you get on the road to a more comfortable atmosphere. Our trained team will thoroughly assess your home for any improvement areas and will offer you the best solution using air sealing and insulation working together. Contact us today at Ecotelligent Homes to get started!