DETECTING YOUR HOME’S COLD SPOTS
Windows, doors and crawl spaces are a few likely culprits when it comes to heat loss
We’re in for a rough winter. When the temperature drops and the snow starts to blow, most Canadians beat a hasty retreat indoors (unless they’re among the lucky ones who can escape down south for the season).
Now that winter has set in, are you starting to notice drafts and cold spots around the house? To win the fight against the seeping cold, you’ll want to take action, and quickly. By solving the problems surrounding drafts and air leaks, you’ll make it that much easier to keep the house warm, and make it more energyefficient, too.
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND
Your biggest source of heat loss and air leakage could be the places you can’t see: your attics or crawl spaces. Any spot in your home where heated sections meet cold zones are at risk for air leakage.
One simple way to spot evidence of air leaks through the attic is to take a look at your roof after a snowfall. Are there patches of melted snow or lots of icicles forming around the roofline? That’s a sign warm air is leaking into the attic from the living space, making your home more difficult to heat.
In the case of your crawl space, does the floor directly above the space feel cold to the touch? A cold floor isn’t just unpleasant to walk on; it could mean cool air is leaking into the warm part of your home.
In both cases, the answer may be to add more insulation. For attics and crawl spaces, I like using spray foam insulation because it acts as an insulator, a vapour barrier, and an air barrier. Each space will also need to have enough venting to keep it as a cold zone, and prevent problems with moisture. How much venting you need will depend on the size of the space, but generally you’ll want one square foot of vent per 150 square feet.
In the case of rooms over crawl spaces, you may never find the floors are as warm as they are in other parts of the home, but if you’re properly insulated, you don’t need to worry about excess air loss.
OPENING THE DOOR FOR DRAFTS
Your windows and doors are a likely culprit contributing to major heat loss in your home. I recommend checking your doors and windows yearly to ensure your caulking and weather stripping is still in good condition.
While replacing worn-out caulking and weather stripping can go a long way to reducing heat loss (drafts can be responsible for up to 30 per cent of a home’s total heat loss), you may only be slapping a Band-Aid over a much larger problem.
I see it all the time: Homeowners have new doors or windows installed, thinking it’s going to eliminate their heat loss problems — but it doesn’t. Why? Usually, it means whoever installed the new doors and windows didn’t also repair the surrounding framing or left the original uninsulated window frames in place. Older window frames are rarely insulated properly and typically have gaps between the frame and framing. When the framing has rotted or has uninsulated gaps it will allow cold air to flow freely into the house. Doors and windows aren’t cheap — and that’s a lot of money to spend to not solve your problem. When you hire someone, hire smart. Make sure your pro takes things down to the studs and ensures the framing is still in good shape before installing your new windows and doors.
WHERE’S THE SOURCE?
If you know you’ve got a problem, but you can’t find the source of air leakage on your own, it’s time to bring in a pro. A licensed home inspector who is an accredited thermographer can bring a thermal imaging camera to help identify exactly where in the home you’re losing heat and whether it’s a case of poor or missing insulation, or leaks around pot lighting or electrical boxes. With advancing technologies, certain companies are now able to map entire neighbourhoods to measure heat loss in individual homes. If your neighbourhood is covered, it’s a simple matter of going online and searching for your home.
Finding the source of your cold spots will go a long way to making your home more energy efficient, and keeping you warm all winter long. Trust me, it’s worth the effort.