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On Renovation Nation, much ado has been made about creating a thermal envelope. From Philadelphia to Seattle, eco-friendly home renovators have been reconstructing their homes with energy efficiency in mind.
The end goal of these green refurbishers is to create a nigh air-tight, heat-confining seal known as a thermal envelope. A well-maintained thermal envelope reduces energy waste and overall heating costs.
A thermally enveloped house does not allow cold air in or hot air out. Many houses, however, are full of leaks. A house with thermal leakage is like a ship with a small hole in the bottom. Some might decide to ignore the hole and instead bail a little every morning, but the wise person realizes that laboring a little bit every day will eventually waste more energy than putting in one day of hard work.
Heat can escape from your home in a variety of places. Here is a list of some of those places.
- The chimney. If Santa can get in, the cold air most certainly can. Cold air won't bring toys. It will bring chills and high energy costs. That can make anyone less jolly.
- The attic. Heat rises. If the insulation in your attic is pathetic, replace it. Although this project is a hassle waiting to happen, it can a save you a large amount of money in the long run. Remember the boat metaphor that I used earlier? It's much like that.
- Windows. Board them up. Just kidding. Make sure that your windows fit well. Make sure that they are sealed properly. Use triple pane glass. This will increase the amount of surface area in a window and keep the cold outside where it belongs.
- Light fixtures. Any place in the house that has an electrical fixture built into the wall is suspect. Wires have to travel through the walls. Because wires and walls are solids, they cannot occupy the same space. That means holes have been cut. Make sure that those wires are thick enough to plug the holes. If they are not, caulk or putty can seal them.
- Doors. Does cold air flow in from underneath the door? Do you have a mail slot or a dog door that flaps in the wind? Can you see light shining in between the doorframe and the door? Did you answer yes to any of these? Your hard-earned money may be leaving through your doors. Put a stop to it. Make sure your doors are sealed.
Creating a thermal envelope is a worthwhile investment. It may be something that is easily put aside for a later date, but the faster you fix it, the faster it will save time, money and energy.
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