One of the ways energy is wasted is by raising up the heat levels in the winters. This is also done in reverse by cooling the house even more because of heat coming in the summers but it’s mostly a winter’s problem. This happens mainly because there are air leaks inside your home.
Air leaks are a result of those unnoticed nooks and crannies inside a home that makes their way inside and leaves you feeling cold/hot rather than warm/cool so you tend to crank up the heat levels.
If you ensure that all open spaces are properly covered, you won’t have to pay so much on your energy bills during the winters nor will you feel very cold inside. In order for you find out where these air leaks are coming from, you will need to first test the different areas of your house for some cracks and openings that are causing it.
Air leak detector
Get an electronic air leak detector and go about your house where you think there is a possible air leak.
Get a candle
If you don’t want to invest in an air leak detector, you can always do the testing by a good old candle. Just light it up and go to windows, doorways and other cracks. See if the candle flame moves or dances, you have an air leak there. Turn off central air conditioning or heating for this test.
Hand test
You can simply also do just a hand test by putting your hands on areas where you think there might be a leak. You will feel the air passing by your hand if there is any air leak.
Solution:
Close the gaps
Chimneys, attics, windows and doors are the main culprits when it comes to having air leaks by wooden frames or by caulking (as shown in the above picture)
