In order to begin solving your problem of heat escaping, you must figure out exactly where the heat is escaping from in your home. While you may have a few ideas already in your head about where it’s getting out, we’re here to list the most common places where heat can escape.
Attic
Heat in your home rises bringing it right up to your attic if there is not proper air sealing or insulation. If there are cracks or improperly placed air vents, this will allow heat to easily get out through the roof of your home.
Walls
Since the walls of your home are in contact with the outside temperature, it is easy for heat to escape this way. This is why home builders will put a secure layer of insulation in between walls and the outside to prevent this from happening. However, if this insulation is lacking or poor, heat will continue to get out through your walls.
Floors
On the other hand, floors have quite the opposite effect than the attic. Heat rises and escapes up and out through your attic, and what goes out must come in. The cold winter air will be drawn in at your floor and after you pay to heat it, that air will escape up and out. Sealing the rim joist with closed-cell spray foam is the best way to air seal and insulate the holes and cracks at the top of your foundation.
Hidden Leaks
While windows and doors may seem like the most common area for heat to escape, they usually have much smaller leaks than the other hidden areas of your home. You can easily see the doors and windows and feel their minor leaks. However, you can not see the hidden bypasses that may exist behind your walls or even create a heat loss pathway from your crawl space all the way up to your attic.