Air Sealing in Occupied Homes by David Keefe Over the last decade, many new techniques have evolved for improving the airtightness of existing homes. With this increased ability has come the responsibility to be comprehensive. Air leaking into the kneewall of this condominium has melted the snow from the roof while the upper sloped ceiling portion is clearly running colder. Materials for Air Sealing T here are few areas of residential construction that are so commonly misunderstood as air movement within and through houses.
Chances are, both groups are providing work for future retrofitters.
When air sealing was largely ineffective, practitioners generally did little good or harm. Now we can do a great deal of either. The modern energy retrofitter must go beyond simply sealing holes to deal with the ways in which air is supplied, used, and exhausted. The goal is to control, rather than just reduce, the air that flows through our buildings. It often involves the correction of problems more important than high heating bills and includes increasing air flow where appropriate.