Our Net 50 Energy Challenge – Part 4 – We Used Our Head
The next step in our Home Energy Audit was to investigate where air could be leaking into/out of our house. On this little adventure we discovered something: let’s just say that if our house was a kitchen gadget it would be a sieve.
Windows: We have several types of windows in our house. The original house still has wooden single pane, double hung
windows with storm windows. All of these windows have received need some much needed attention this fall: the cracked and missing glazing putty has been replaced, and the sashes that rattle as they open and close have had weatherstripping added to help seal the gaps and smoothen out their operation. Next the cracked, peeling and alligatored paint will need to be scraped off and the windows repainted. Finally, when the wind blows the sashes in the storm windows bend a little and let it right in. The 1970’s addition was built with wooden double hung windows with insulated glass, one of which has cracked glass and the others readily leak air. Some of the windows in the addition and one in the original house were replaced with vinyl double hung and slider windows with insulated glass. The vinyl windows are the best in the house, but last year we covered them with insulating window film too and it made a big difference. The windows in the basement are the worst of all: single pane glass, some cracked and others loose in their frames.
Doors: There are only two doors into the house. The front door is a six panel solid wood door with a storm door. We installed new weatherstripping and a new sweep to the wood door two years ago. The back door is a steel door with glass on the upper half and a storm door. Both back door and storm door have new weatherstripping and the glass in the storm door has been sealed with weatherstripping and rope caulk. We made these improvements at the same time as the ones we made to the front doors.Â
Change in Materials:Â The joint between the brick of the existing house and the aluminum siding of the addition 
needs to be re-caulked. Likewise, the joint between the concrete foundation and concrete driveway may be the source of small water leaks into the basement and should be sealed too. The joints between the eave trim and the brick is tight and in great shape and so is the joint between the aluminum siding and the block foundation.Â
Switches and Outlets: There are very few switches or outlets on the exterior walls, the outlets and switches in the exterior walls of the original house are surface mounted to the wall and do not need to be sealed. Those in the addition need to be sealed.
Pipes, Vents, Fixtures and Wires:Â There are a number of penetrations through the 
exterior wall: range hood vent, phone line, electrical, cable TV, condensing unit line set, dryer vent, furnace flue, and three hose bibs. Most of these penetrations seem to be sealed properly, however there are a few, like the outlet and light fixture by the back door that need some attention.
Attic Ceilings: Every room on the second floor has a ceiling mounted light fixture with a junction box that penetrates the ceiling.  One bathroom has an exhaust fan that pokes up into the attic too. The original house has an attic access panel in one of the closets the is in dire need of being sealed and insulated properly. The access panel in the addition has two inches of rigid insulation secured to it’s back and is weatherstripped adequately on all four sides. It could also benefit from an attic stair cover some day.
Fireplaces:Â The fireplace is decorative, so there is no flue to seal.
After completing this survey it’s apparent that there are a number of weatherizing projects that I need to complete: fixing the glazing putty in the original windows, and adding weatherstripping to the original windows this fall was a good start. Next on the list are to seal the joint between the foundation and the driveway, seal the joints between the brick and the aluminum siding, install switch and outlet sealers, seal the penetrations through the second floor ceiling, seal and insulate the original attic access panel, add insulation to the newer attic access panel, and seal around some of the penetrations through the building envelope.
Dan Bossenbroek
November 3, 2009
Tags: Energy Audit, Insulation, Weatherize, Weatherstripping, Windows Posted in: Energy Conservation, Home Energy Audit, Net 50 Energy Challenge, Weatherize
Leave a Reply