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One way to significantly enhance the effectiveness of a home’s insulation is to seal air leaks in the home’s envelope. Many well-insulated buildings can be poorly sealed or have become poorly sealed as they were modified and as they aged. The lack of a proper seal is a leading cause of air leakage in and out of buildings and the loss of energy.
Many air leaks and drafts are easy to find because you can feel air moving through them, especially around windows and doors. There are many other holes in a home’s exterior that can’t easily be seen. Air leaks in attics, basements, and crawlspaces are typically bigger problems and allow greater amounts of energy to escape.
Approximately 60% of all air leaks are in a home’s attic. Add to that the heat loss from an uninsulated basement (as much as 25%) and heat loss from exterior walls (around 15%). This air leakage results in wasted energy, moisture problems in most homes, and wasted money.
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