Drafty Home? Here’s the Most Likely Cause

Does your home feel drafty on these cold winter days? Do you have a condensation problem in your attic or evidence of rodent infestations?

While these conditions may lead you to think your windows or roof need replacement, or that you have ice dams, the problem is more likely related to gaps, holes and cracks in your attic and foundation, says Mike Callahan, owner of Comfort 1st Insulation and Energy Solutions, Rockford.

“Heat rises and escapes through gaps in your attic,” Callahan explains. “This creates a vacuum which forcefully sucks cold air indoors, especially around your home’s foundation. The clash of hot and cold air in the attic can cause condensation. And gaps in the attic allow rodents to enter and travel throughout the home via the walls.”

About 60 percent of draft problems are caused by attic leaks, not bad windows, says Callahan.
While homes shouldn’t be 100 percent sealed, most homes leak far more heated air than they should, causing the furnace to work harder and utility bills to rise. This is true in homes of every age.

“The best way to figure out what’s going on is to hire professionals like us to conduct a top-to-bottom energy assessment using thermal scans,” says Callahan. “We also do a ‘red blower door test’ that makes your house behave like it would when 20-to-30 m.p.h. wind gusts are blowing outdoors.”

Identifying and sealing up the many air leaks in a home, by using appropriate forms of insulation, costs $500 to $3,000 on average, much less than unnecessary roof or window replacement. Insulation pays for itself over time with lower utility bills. Federal energy-efficiency tax credits and Energy Star utility rebates may defray that cost further.

Comfort 1st is a family-owned, local business with 16 years of experience. It also offers a pest-proofing package.

“Right now, roofers all over Rockford are getting calls from homeowners who think they have a roofing problem, when what they really have is an insulation problem,” says Callahan.
Learn more by calling (833) 244-7283. ❚