Everyone seems to be taking advantage of money-saving ideas in these economic hard times. Did you know you can cut your utility bills 5-30 percent each year and help save energy just by finding and repairing air leaks in your house?
Some drafts are easy to find. They are the ones that you can feel when you walk past a window or a door. But a lot of leakage occurs in spots you wouldn’t necessarily think of. Look around the room where you’re currently sitting. Notice where the ceilings and floor come together, the fireplace damper and any plumbing pipes. Electric switches, outlets and light fixtures are other locations you will want to check. Basically, any place that is an opening on an exterior wall or ceiling should be considered suspect.
Ceiling fans are something that is often overlooked but can be a big source of infiltration. If the blades on your ceiling fan get dust build-up that is a sure indicator that the connection from the fan to the ceiling is leaking. Whenever the fan runs it is drawing hot, humid, dusty air in from the attic and in many cases doing more harm than good.
Now that you know where to look, how should you find air leaks? On one of our trademark windy days in the Corpus Christi area, use a candle or a stick of incense as an inexpensive detector. Place it in front of the spot. Any slight movement in the flame or smoke can be a telltale sign of a leak. Once found, be sure to take care of the problem. Or you can call a trained technician to come in and find and repair leaks. The savings in your electric bills over time will more than pay for the service call.
Regardless of the season, remember, when you find a draft and fix it, that’s money in your pocket and energy savings you can be proud of. Contact CCAC, Inc., for help with energy efficiency and comfort issues in your south Texas home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air leaks and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Mathews CCAC Air Conditioning and Heating services Corpus Christi, TX. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
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