What is attic air sealing and how does it save energy?
Attic air sealing is the process of finding and sealing the holes from your ceiling to your attic. These holes are called “bypasses” because heated air escapes through them. They typically occur around chimneys, vents, recessed light fixtures, soffits, and where framing members meet. So you normally can’t see attic bypasses from the inside of your house. However, if your home has icicles or ice dams in the winter they are probably caused by heated air that is escaping from your house and melting snow off of your roof. Attic air sealing makes sure there is a well-defined boundary between the heated/air conditioned space in your house and the unconditioned space. If you add up all of the attic bypasses in your home they could be wasting as much or more energy than leaving a open window in your living room all winter long. Project ReEnergize “closes the window” which also boosts the effectiveness of attic insulation.
