Are you interested in learning more about how much energy you’re wasting by heating and cooling your home? Possibly you want to save money, or perhaps you want to reduce your consumption in order to help the environment.
However, you may have come across a lot of information online about the necessity of sealing up all the sneaky small gaps that allow warm or cooled interior air to depart and unpleasant outside air to get in, and you should pay attention to it.
It’s a good thing that you don’t have to go about your house looking for and fixing every leaky door and window, electrical outlet, plumbing stack, recessed light, and so on if you want to increase the energy efficiency of your home and notice a reduction in the energy consumption of your HVAC system.
Simply put, you must repair the leaks in two locations: the top of your home and the bottom of your home. Due to a phenomenon known as the stack effect, any air leaks in your attic, basement, or crawlspace will pull in more air than a leak of equal size on the main level of your home will draw. Keep reading to learn more about how this works and then contact Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing at (661) 947-2653 for help with air balancing services and much more.
The Way it Works
Temperature differences between hot and cold air are caused by physical principles. In addition, hot air expands, resulting in a building that is “fuller” and under more pressure than a structure that contains cool air. As a result, your basement or crawlspace will always be cooler and subjected to less pressure than your attic, no matter what.
When there is a leak in your basement, the air from the outside will be drawn in quite strongly because of the low pressure in the basement. Because of the increased pressure in the attic, if you have leaks in your home, they will cause a significant amount of indoor air to escape. When both of these things happen at the same time, you will experience a large amount of air movement, which can be powerful enough to pull air right past any leaks you may have on your main levels.
By repairing air leaks in your basement or crawlspace, as well as in your attic, you may prevent this flow of air from occurring, lower its strength, and, as a result, minimize the amount of air that escapes from your house.
Save Money and Get the Best Performance from Your HVAC System
Of course, repairing leaks isn’t the only method to save money on your heating and cooling expenses. You should also check to see that your heating and cooling systems are operating at peak performance. At Econo West Heating Air & Plumbing, we provide professional furnace, heat pump, and air conditioner repairs and preventative maintenance for a wide range of models and makes of equipment.
Call us at (661) 947-2653 right away, and we’ll be delighted to dispatch a qualified HVAC expert to your house to provide you with energy-saving recommendations.