Reduce Energy Costs by Sealing Your Home Top to Bottom
Are you tired of expensive energy bills? Can't seem to figure out why or where that annoying draft is coming from? You're not alone.
Making your home more energy efficient, reducing your energy costs and keeping it warm in the winter requires sealing it up from top to bottom. In other words, sealing your attic, crawl space and ductwork is a fantastic way to keep warm air from escaping and stop chilly air from making its way in. Along with sealing gaps and cracks around windows and doors, this will significantly reduce your energy costs and ease the workload on your HVAC system.
As crawlspace, attic and ductwork sealing experts, the Bradley Mechanical team is here to help.
Attic Sealing
Heat rises, so it only makes sense that a good portion of warm air escapes your home through leaks and holes in the attic and roof. As this warm air rises inside your home, it also draws cold air in through the leaks of your crawl space, making for cold floors and drafty rooms. Adding insulation may seem like the ideal solution, but insulation alone will not stop warm air from escaping.
Every attic needs proper ventilation. Sealing it does not stop the proper air exchange - it is simply stopping the exchange of air between the attic and the house. Much of your home's wiring, piping, and ductwork is concealed in the attic. The holes these materials go through are often left unsealed by contractors, leaving many spots for hot and cold air to pass through. Sealing these holes, combined with insulation, will help your home maintain a desired temperature.
When a Bradley Mechanical technician performs attic sealing, they will use a two-part foam to seal along all band boards, flues, chimneys and lights. These areas are the most common to have small, invisible leaks that allow your warm air to escape easily. Our techs will also go beyond what most contractors do by sealing wall plates, joists, attic hatches, knee walls and light penetrations.
Crawl Space Sealing
Unsealed crawl spaces are well known for having major air leaks - leaks that can leave the home feeling drafty and uncomfortable. Similar to what we mentioned about attic spaces, significant amounts of conditioned air can also escape through unsealed holes in the crawl space meant for wiring and plumbing.
According to the US Energy Star program, sealing your crawl space can save you an estimated 20% on energy bills. Not only does sealing your crawl space make your home more energy efficient, but it also creates a drier, healthier space under your home. Eliminating the chance of moisture entering your crawl space helps reduce the possibility of mold and mildew forming as well.
When we come out to perform crawl space sealing, we offer three different levels of encapsulation to fit your specific crawl space needs. At our highest level, we will check off all the boxes, including the removal of debris and insulation, floor viper vapor barrier, wrap and tape floor pillars, remove any mold, blanket walls to create a vaper and thermal barrier, seal sill plates to prevent termites, seal crawl vents and band joists, insulate and weather strip the crawl space door and add a dehumidifier to keep the area dry.
Duct Sealing
Common issues caused by unsealed or poor ductwork include:
- Uninsulated ducts in unconditioned spaces
- Disconnected, torn or damaged to the ductwork
- Blind-alley ducts
- Inadequate return-side ductwork
- Any visible leakage or evidence of supply
A duct system that is properly sealed can also make your home more energy efficient, comfortable, and safer. Bradley Mechanical uses a proprietary sealant technology called Aeroseal to significantly reduce duct leakage. It can reduce leakage down to around 5%, making your ductwork and HVAC system much more efficient while increasing your indoor air quality.
The Bradley Mechanical Difference
We want you and your family to feel comfortable in your home this winter and the next and the next. Having your attic, crawl space and ducts properly sealed by the team of professionals at Bradley Mechanical will not only keep the warmth in and cold out but also save you money on your next energy bill.
We have been making Richmond homes safer, more energy efficient and more comfortable for over 50 years. Give Bradley Mechanical a call today at (804) 748-6728, and let us show you why our service has earned the trust of thousands of local homes throughout Central Virginia. Get in touch with one of our professionals today and feel the Bradley Mechanical difference.
