It was undoubtedly a huge step to insulate your entire home, but is air sealing the attic worth it? Even if you don’t intend to use your attic, it’s still a source of energy leaks. If you want to save on your energy bill and keep your home comfortable, air sealing the attic is most definitely worth it! We’ll show you why below.
What is Air Sealing?
In a nutshell, air sealing your attic means inspecting and then treating your attic for leaks. A professional will check the attic for places where air or pests can penetrate. Different cracks or leaks require different kinds of air sealing, caulks or sealants, but you’re creating a barrier between your unconditioned attic and your conditioned living space.
Air sealing an attic is sealing the attic from the living space. You want lots of holes leading from your attic to the outside. That is the ventilation required in an attic. Holes between outside and your attic – good. Holes between your attic and living space – bad. Ideally, your attic is the same temperature as outside.
Benefits of Air Sealing Your Attic
Air sealing an attic goes a long way to maintain your home. Besides keeping energy costs low, it’ll mainly help to keep your home feeling comfortable long-term. Without a sealed attic, hot air can get inside the living space (heat gain) during warmer months and get outside (heat loss) during colder months. You won’t have to crank up your heater or your air conditioning as much, because a sealed attic will keep warm air inside of your home.
Besides stopping unwanted air movement, sealing your attic will also keep out soil gas. Each house has a stack effect, or “suction,” that draws gases from the ground beneath the building. While they’re not necessarily dangerous, they can disrupt your home’s air flow.
What Are the Risks of Not Air Sealing Your Attic?
Holes in your attic can cause differences in air density. For example, your chimney might draft heated air into your attic and then suck cold air down around your windows and doors. The greater the thermal difference and the structure’s height, the greater the stack effect will be.
Plus, there’s the simple science of warm air rising. The more hot air you try to push into your house, the greater the loss will be through holes in your attic. Plus, dust particles float along with this warm air, so insulation will help trap that dust.
If your attic ventilation is not up to par, your attic’s temperature will rise. Especially in the winter, run-off from melted snow will eventually refreeze along your gutter and may destroy shingles and your roof’s sub-floor. Air sealing will prevent added hot air from moving into your attic and cold air from moving into your living space.
What is the Average Air Sealing Attic Cost?
The cost of air sealing varies by contractor and size of the attic. No matter the air sealing attic cost, it should help lower your energy bills in the long run.
Along with whole home insulation, adding air sealing is more than worth the money. If you’d like a professional opinion on air sealing your attic, go ahead and contact Green Attics for a free energy audit!
