Air leaks are a main culprit of wasted energy for many homes. Air leaks are holes or cracks in your home that allow for conditioned air to escape, and for extreme outdoor temperatures to enter your home. Attics are a common area for air leaks to occur, causing your insulation to be less effective, and making your HVAC work harder than it needs to.

Air leaks can be located all over a home. Windows, doors, attics, crawlspaces, and holes made for plumbing or electrical wires are common air leaks;

If you suspect you have air leaks in your home, there are a few things you can do.
1. Do a visual inspection. Look for dirty spots or mold on your ceiling, carpet, and attic insulation. Air leaks in joists will create these spots, and they can be sealed off with caulk or low expansion spray foam.
2. Check windows and doors for leaks. If you can feel outside air blowing in, or conditioned air being sucked out, you’ve got an air leak. These type of airleaks can be fixed with spray foam, storm windows, door bottom seals, or a new threshold for the door.
3. Inspect areas where plumbing, ducting, and electrical goes through ceilings, walls, floors, and soffits over cabinets. These can be caulked or filled with low expansion spray foam.
4. Close your fireplace flue and cover your kitchen exhaust fan when they are not in use.

Air leak sealing is a common job done during attic renovations. Identifying an air leak in an attic requires you check all corners of an attic. Identifying an air leak in your attic can be a messy, frustrating job, but it will save you money, and reduce energy waste in the long run.