Sunday, March 25, 2012

The Value in Sealing Wall Headers






1 comment:

Max Rockbin said...

I read a recent article in Fine Homebuilding about the early days of what is now called "Building Science." Some University professors constructed a test house and insulated it according to standards they developed. Then they tested the energy consumption and found it to be much higher than their theory indicated.

After stripping down the building and performing various experiments, they determined almost all the lost energy was from air currents flowing from the main house up to the attic. Small holes and gaps and points of conduction allowed a steady flow of heat to escape - completely bypassing the insulation layers.

Covering wall voids blocks a major path of this flow. Patching around lighting and other ceiling holes makes a big difference too. Ideally, the drywall used in ceiling and wall construction would be air-tight as well.