Where Does Your Home Lose the Most Heat?
A home feels a little less “homely” when the air is frigid cold despite having the heat on full blast. If this is the case, your home is most likely not well insulated. Insulation is one of those things that is out-of-sight, out-of-mind for a homeowner. You assume it’s there behind your drywall doing its thing. Unfortunately if it’s not, you could be losing substantial heat and spending way more than you need to on energy bills.
Your home is great from shielding you from the elements. However, every home is susceptible to air transfer. There is simply no way, no would you want to create an airtight home. Heat loss is commonly divided up into a few areas around your home. There is infiltration, windows and doors, walls, and ceilings.
Infiltration
Infiltration typically makes up about 10 percent of heat loss. Infiltration is defined as the accidental transfer of air from outside to the inside via cracks. Small cracks that go unnoticed in your home could be accounting for heat loss.
Windows and Doors
Windows and doors account for about 23 percent of heat loss in your home. A new door or new windows will greatly reduce this percentage but as windows and doors age, their seals become weaker and start to allow for heat transfer.
Walls
The walls of your home typically make up 27 percent of heat loss. The worse your walls are insulated, the greater this percentage is. This is why having a quality, thorough insulation is extremely important.
Ceiling
Finally, your ceilings will account for the majority of heat loss in your home at about 40 percent. The obvious reason to this is that warm air rises. So anytime you heat your home, that warm air will rise up through the ceiling and eventually, out through the roof. Having properly insulated ceilings and attics can help to greatly reduce this heat loss.
Understanding how your home loses heat is the first step into reducing the amount of heat loss. For more information, contact Eco Insulation online for a quote, or call us at 563-223-8681.
