3 cheap and easy ways to keep your air conditioner cool indoors

Final 12 months was the most popular on report, and the summer season of 2024 is anticipated to be simply as scorching. In some areas, blackouts have change into a serious recurring threat, and it is by no means been extra necessary to maintain air con cool inside your property whereas it is working.

Whether or not you are attempting to save cash in your utility payments or management your property’s temperature, you’ll be able to insulate and seal your property with these three suggestions. You will have to seal the “envelope” of the home, seal the duct and insulate the attic.

These are the commonest air leakage issues in American houses that may make a giant distinction with a small funding. Here is how one can get began with all three.

Air sealing “envelope”

First, you need to begin by sealing the home. By doing this, you’re going to get essentially the most enchancment for the least amount of cash. It’s also essential that you just seal the home earlier than you insulate. In any other case, you are losing your time. Fiber insulation requires an air barrier to operate correctly, so it is strongly recommended final.

Talking in regards to the air sealing of the “envelope” of the home, it is very important be aware how the air behaves naturally within the constructing. The sample of air transferring out and in of your property is named the “stack impact,” and it explains why it usually feels just like the temperature in your house is totally different on every flooring. Warmth rises and chilly air strikes to decrease ranges – so heat air leaves your property by way of the attic and chilly air leaves by way of a crawl house, unfinished basement, or different decrease a part of the home with out air con.

That is why sealing the higher and decrease ranges of your property, mixed with insulation, is without doubt one of the finest methods to cope with air leaks.

If there’s a draft by way of the window, the proprietor of the home can see it instantly. Leaks in attics or crawl areas are normally worse to your residence’s temperature steadiness, however they’re normally tougher to identify. And these areas would be the most helpful in combating the “stack impact”. You will need to seal window casings, doorways, vents, chimneys for fireplaces and furnaces, and different fixtures resembling pipes and wires that penetrate the “envelope” of the house.

Home windows usually have gaps across the casing and beneath the sill. You should use a caulking gun to seal them. Reduce the highest of the tube at a forty five diploma angle. Use the pin beneath the gun to interrupt the seal and insert the tube into the gun. Place the caulking gun and pull the set off whereas transferring alongside the body. The 45 diploma angle permits the tip to form the bead of the caulk right into a neat line as you apply it, however should want some ending. You may simply do that together with your finger. Don’t fret about it getting in your pores and skin, because the glue washes off simply with water.

You may also use a caulking gun to caulk areas resembling the toilet exhaust fan, flooring vents, and some other gaps. However in the case of sealing the flue, you need to just remember to use a fireproofing compound for extra flammable areas as a substitute to make sure hearth security. And earlier than you seal the flue, be certain the range is off and there is no hearth/you’ve got let it cool sufficient.

You may add a climate strip to seal the entrance or rear door body. These doorways could have a small hole between the door and the surface that enables not solely gentle but additionally air. You may decide up a package of atmospheric overlays, which comes with the whole lot you want.

First, you may have to take away any outdated Individuals from the door body. After that, you’ll be able to set up a brand new plate. It’s simpler to start out with the left and proper sides of the body first after which press the highest. You will have to measure the facet of your door body and minimize the weatherstrip to match it. And while you minimize it, be sure to minimize it from the metallic facet – you may get a cleaner minimize.

Shut the door and ensure it’s locked earlier than putting in the guard bar. If it’s not locked and you put in the climate bar too shut, you’ll be able to over tighten the lock and it may well break or come out of the wooden.

Tightly line the weatherstripping alongside the facet of the body, however do not press too arduous in opposition to the door. Utilizing the drill, insert the primary screw within the center, then make the highest and backside screws. Now do the identical for the opposite facet – and once more for the highest.

For awkward areas the place there are bigger gaps or wires in the way in which, you’ll be able to seal these areas with foam. It is a lot simpler to simply spray the froth into these holes and let it develop.

To make use of the froth can, connect the nozzle to the highest and deal with with care. It will not come off your garments or carpet, which implies you do not need to make any foolish errors.

Once more, attic or attic leaks are an important areas to handle. So, you’ll be able to spray canister foam on openings round pipes and vents, in addition to on crawl house cracks and the highest of inside partitions within the attic. When you’ve got an unfinished basement as a substitute of a crawl house, you should utilize caulking or foam to air-seal the rim joists and sills.

Air duct sealing

In case your ductwork is leaky and in a non-air conditioned house (resembling a basement, unfinished basement, basement, attic, and so on.), you’ll actually be heating or cooling the climate, losing tons of cash and dropping that contemporary air to your property. . While you shut it, many of the warmth or air con that ought to have been coming into your property stays inside.

Not solely that, however duct sealing will enhance indoor air high quality. If the duct is leaky, it may well trigger dust, mud, mould and presumably radon to be drawn in from the surface. Duct sealing permits the duct to attract in solely the air that’s already in the home.

Mastic can be utilized to seal air ducts within the decrease room with out air con. Mastic is nice for sealing duct joints as a result of it’s fluid and might get into hard-to-reach locations. It’s also versatile in that it may well stand up to growth and contraction resulting from adjustments in temperature.

The subsequent half is simple. Sporting a rubber glove, you’ll be able to actually dip your hand right into a bucket of mastic and smear it on the seams, joints and holes of the metallic air duct. Simply watch out to not minimize your self as metallic ducts can have sharp edges.

Including attic insulation

Final however not least, you may need to insulate the attic. As talked about earlier than, should you insulate your attic earlier than you seal your attic, it will not aid you.

Talking in regards to the insulation of the attic house, it is very important be aware that the insulation and the air barrier should be steady and contiguous (that’s, they contact). The stable half is that it is extra environment friendly to have 6 inches of insulation all over the place moderately than 10 inches of insulation in a concentrated spot. Adjoining half – the place the drywall is, the insulation ought to contact it. If it does not contact (like if the insulation is on high of the wires and never beneath them), the insulation will not do something.

One other factor to notice is that you just need to be certain there is no such thing as a air hole between the layers of “bats” that are strips of insulation.

In different phrases, you need the insulation to be the identical depth because the joists should you’re utilizing batten, not unfastened (or blown-in) insulation, as a result of in any other case there can be an air hole while you add the second perpendicular layer of insulation.

If the depth is beneath the beam, there can be an air hole from the second layer; if the depth is greater than the beam, there’ll nonetheless be an air hole from the beam to the second layer. Solely the primary layer must be of the identical depth, however the second perpendicular layer may be thicker.

And the primary layer must be as thick as wanted based mostly on the Vitality Star advisable R worth to your geographic location. R-value is a measure of how efficient a fabric is at stopping warmth loss. The upper the R-value, the higher.

Understand that when insulating your attic, it’s good to be sure to put on protecting gear and canopy any uncovered elements of your physique to keep away from inhaling mud and fiberglass or getting it in your pores and skin.

First, you may have to clear the joist so the insulation can lay fully flat. Then place the insulation batting within the compartment and minimize a size to suit snugly. Attempt to trim the wadding as completely as potential, nevertheless it’s okay should you mess up – so long as you fill the depth of the bay evenly with insulation.

Then add a second layer of batten perpendicular to the joists to insulate the wooden, not simply the bay.

Vitality Audits and Weatherization Help Program

The following tips can assist decrease air leaks and chilly spots in your house. However in order for you a extra in-depth skilled opinion earlier than you strive a few of these strategies, you will get one power audit accomplished in your house to search out out what particular areas your property is missing in the case of power effectivity.

As well as, the US Division of Vitality has a state and native weatherization help program in case you are low-income, over 60, or a member of the family with a incapacity. Contact your native utility firm for extra data.