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New Home Infiltration
Energy thieves exist throughout your home, but none is more overlooked than air infiltration.
Air infiltration is the simple movement of air into or out of the home through cracks, construction openings, and other crevices. That's why blocking infiltration is such a major part of the Touchstone Energy® Home program.
All exterior windows, door frames, and corner joints should be properly caulked or sealed. It is not acceptable to stuff fiberglass insulation around those openings since the compressed material loses much of its insulating ability.
All penetrations through the wall and into the home should be sealed with caulk, gaskets, or some other appropriate material. Such openings include, but aren't limited to electrical, cable/satellite television, or telephone/Internet service entries. Openings for plumbing through the walls or sole plate should also be sealed.
The sole plates themselves - the base between the floor and exterior walls - should be caulked or have a sill sealer installed.
An interior vapor barrier or exterior house wrap also is required for a Touchstone Energy® home . Vapor barriers are materials that restrict the movement of water vapor through the home's envelope. Commonly made of materials like plastic sheets, treated papers, and metallic foils, they often come attached to insulation materials. In homes without them, warm inside air, which contains water vapor, can move into walls, ceilings and floors and condense causing serious moisture damage and significant loss of insulating value. The exterior house wrap not only blocks air infiltration, but has the added benefit of soundproofing the home.
Other points to address to block infiltration include:
- Fireplaces - they should have glass fronts or glass fire doors. There should be an outside air source to supply combustion air. Chimneys should have tight-fitting dampers.
- Kitchens and baths - exhaust fans should be installed to help remove moisture from kitchens and baths. These systems should have back draft dampers to prevent heat from being lost when the fans are not it use.
- Recessed lighting - often referred to as "can lights," recessed fixtures must be airtight and I.C.-rated (i.e., the can is insulated) for an insulated ceiling to avoid any fire hazard.
- Outlets and switches - surprising amounts of air infiltration comes from electrical and telephone outlets along exterior walls. Again, foam gaskets should be inserted underneath the outlet cover to block infiltration.
Some people worry that they will make their home too tight. While this is possible, it requires some real effort. According to ASHRAE's standard for indoor air quality, homes achieving fewer than .35 air changes per hour should have some form of mechanical heat recovery ventilator installed to provide fresh outside air without losing expensive heating or cooling. Well constructed, tightly sealed homes cost less to operate, and because they are not drafty, are more comfortable to live in.
