Air Leakage Chart

When you are searching for areas to seal off from air leakage (and heat / a/c loss), the chart listed shows the largest areas to concentrate.

Number one is "Floors, walls and ceiling". This is the most obvious, however the least done due to the mess of crawling in an attic and knowing where to look.

The next on the list, surprisingly, is the fireplace. Not so much the fireplace, but the damper. HZG goes into many homes each year and would estimate that only 10% have properly functioning dampers.

Ducts are areas that most people do not think about. Earlier we referenced using mastic to seal of the air leakage - not from the outside but internally. This makes your furnace run more smoothly.

Plumbing penetrations (band joist), doors (weatherstripping and sweeps) and windows (caulking around frames) would be the next and most obvious areas.

Lastly, Fans and vents and outlets. Fans and vents should be properly connected to termination kits - outlets should be address through the attic and wall insulation.