Major air leakage around your home will lower the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. During the home weatherization process, air sealing plays a major role in making sure your home has a healthy living environment and great comfort levels. This measure can go a long way in cutting down costs of your HVAC systems and saving you energy.

Air Sealing

Air leakage, at its core, happens when your inside conditioned air leaves your home and unconditioned air comes in from the outside. For major air leakage locations, sealing the gaps with spray foam, caulk, or fiberglass are acceptable treatments under the NJ Comfort Partners Program. Another measure, weatherstripping, is great once all major leakages have been identified and sealed. 

Weatherstripping – doors, windows, openings

For any areas where no effective weatherstripping exists such as portions of windows, doors, and other operable openings, weatherstripping can be applied there to reduce the amount of air draft. Residents or homeowners can also help identify whether or not a door or window remains a significant cause of drafts in their home.

Weatherstripping material is designed to resist any wear and tear, temperature changes, or friction while applied over openings. For doors specifically, vinyl bulb material is used for exterior doors and other frequently used doors because of its ability to hold and resist moisture. Polypropylene pile, plastic V-Seal, and foam tape are used for other openings that are used not as often.

When weatherstripping is applied, it is done on clean and dry surfaces. Against both surfaces, it should easily compress when the door ends up closed. The whole weatherstrpiping is checked to ensure that the door closes easily. This, along with the other air sealing measures, allow air leaks to be closed and for all of the home’s systems to work as efficiently as possible. This, in return, will help make your home more comfortable! 

GreenLife Energy Solutions and NJ Comfort Partners

For any income-qualified households in New Jersey, you may be eligible for a free home weatherization program! This home weatherization programs assists homes to start saving energy and money by applying cost-effective measures in your home. For any more information, visit our Comfort Partners page or call us at 609-407-6900