Summertime heat can make your Northern Virginia home feel hot and uncomfortable! If you’re trying to avoid spending more for cranking up the air conditioning, you may want to consider upgrading your home’s insulation and sealing costly air leaks. The comfort professionals at The Fifth Fuel can walk you through ways to improve your home’s performance with updated insulation and air sealing.
Start with an Energy Evaluation
If you’re not quite sure where to begin, get an energy expert from The Fifth Fuel to take a look at how your home’s present insulation is working with a home energy evaluation. Beginning with a visual inspection of your attic insulation and an infrared camera scan, we can pinpoint areas where your insulation may need improvement. The infrared camera can “see” differences in heat behind your walls and ceilings. Those different colors translate into places where air is leaking in and insulation isn’t insulating.
Air Leaks Can Affect Comfort in the Summer
Most homes have enough small gaps, cracks and holes to add up to significant air leakage. For every cubic foot of conditioned inside air that leaks out, outside air leaks in. This outside air carries a lot of baggage that can make you and your home uncomfortable—and even cause damage! Here are some of the unwanted extras that air leaks can introduce to your home:
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Allergens, including dust, pollen, bacteria and viruses
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Moisture, including humid air, mold and mildew
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Particles, including smoke and air pollution
Air Sealing & Insulation Work Together
One of the most effective ways to cut energy costs and improve your home comfort is to combine air sealing with new insulation. The home performance pros at The Fifth Fuel can seal small leaks, and pay attention to air leakage hotspots in your home. Areas that often need extra sealing attention include:
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Attic kneewalls
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Recessed lighting, including can lights and other ceiling fixtures
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Attic access stairwells
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Top plates in stud wall cavities
Keep Moisture Out with Air Sealing
The air sealing team will use a combination of caulk and weatherization materials, applying spray foam to seal extra large gaps. Air sealing blocks air transfer and just as importantly, it prevents moisture buildup and condensation that can lead to mold, rot and real damage to your home’s structure. Many homeowners experience moisture problems from poorly sealed crawl spaces. Crawl space encapsulation by the experts at The Fifth Fuel can eliminate moisture and mildew problems and enhance your home’s comfort and air quality.
Insulation Keeps Your Home Cool in the Summer
The same qualities that prevent heat transfer out in winter, also prevents energy transfer in during hot weather. Your attic can really heat up on a hot summer day. When you attic area is air sealed and well insulated you’ll keep that heat at bay!
Count on 30 Years of Insulation Experience
The professional insulation team at The Fifth Fuel is BPA certified and ENERGY STAR® Partner to maximize your home’s efficiency and comfort. We can help select the right type of insulation to meet your Alexandria VA home’s design and budget needs. We install three common types of insulation:
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Cellulose Insulation is made from recycled plant fibers, including newsprint. It’s a safe and reliable type of insulation that performs well for many years.
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Fiberglass Insulation offers clean reliable insulating at an affordable price point.
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Spray Foam Insulation offers both highly effective insulation and soundproofing, but also is an excellent air sealing solution.
Post Installation Blower Door Test
Once we’ve completed your air sealing and insulation upgrade, we’ll test our work with a blower door test. This test can demonstrate the improved performance in your home’s exterior shell. You’ll be able to enjoy energy savings and improved summertime comfort from the very first day!
