Dryer Vents and other low hanging fruit
I live in a community of older homes many of which are considered historic.
We are also having a many spirited discussion about what to do to increase efficiencies in these older homes. Preservation makes deep energy retrofits difficult. I maintain there is still a lot we can do.
My dryer in the winter would be very cold and I would sometimes clean the vent out. I purchased a much better vent, sealed it, and the cold is gone. Due to issues with the stucco and misalignment of the original hole it took about two hours.
For those who are doing renovations what can you name off the top of your head that can be fixed in two to four hours or less?
Dyer Vent and other service penetrations
Weatherstripping for windows and doors.
Chases for Mechanicals
Attic Hatches
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Replies
Simply latching windows shut makes a big difference. I am always surprised how many people leave their windows unlatched.
In an older home, a storm door often makes sense. Installation (and finishing, if needed) can be anywhere from an hour to a day.
I have tons of questions for you! I just picked through our interlibrary loan system, my copy of PGH.
And I absolutely love this response. Triple pane, uPVC windows are useless when left open!
Our preservation rules will make putting in exterior CI difficult as you must try to save the original materials, but there is plenty to do before then.
I close latches in my house all the time. One of the occupants is German and loves fresh aire (aka frusche luft). My guess is there will be latched that havent been closed in years.
You'll think I'm crazy for saying it -
closing off unused chimneys, stove pipes, and other penetrations that have been removed. I helped a friend close off a ~1 ft diameter hole in his envelope that had been open for years (before he purchased the home) from an old wood burning stove.
Other things that may make a dent, but not really add up to much are sealing around the receptacle wall interface, and in the outlet itself. Those can be done on the ground, with a few tools, at leisure - assuming you're ok with being near an electric panel.
Taping loose or poorly fitting junctions on air handlers.
Checking to make sure the roof vents are opening and closing properly.
Perhaps the best discussion would be a group purchase for a contractor to come out and perform both a blower door test before and aerobarrier implementation, and then after, for the whole street.
https://www.ecohome.net/guides/3364/aerobarrier-home-air-sealing-spray/
Thank you Kyle and Michael, this is exactly what I am looking for. One of the FHB guys performed a BD test on his house, and the chimney flue even closed had an incredible amount of loss.
I know Aerobarrier is incredible but I am not sure how many deals I could close in our community.
Often times you can make a big improvement in recessed can light air leakiness by putting in LED replacements that go in place of the trim ring (not just LED bulbs). These LED replacement trim assemblies, especially with a bead of rope caulk around the perimeter, will help cut down on airflow through the fixture.
I'd probably prioritize improving attic hatches. Most that I've seen are little more than a piece of plywood in a hole, often with no insulation on top, and almost always with no effort at all made in the air sealing department. I like to use 3/4" MDF to make a new hatch cover (the stuff is heavy and flat), then glue rigid foam to the back. Some weather stripping around the perimeter helps with air sealing, and if you want to do a really nice job of things, put some draw latches on there so that you can keep the cover sealing tightly to the weather stripping.
BTW, painter's tape is a quick and dirty way to "air seal" a severely leaky window if you can't get it fixed properly right away.
Bill
I put a draft stopper under the back door (one of those things with a sort of long stuffed sausage on each side and a flat bit that slides underneath). I don't know if it made a big difference to heat loss, but it definitely increased comfort. I also made a small blind for the skylight over the landing, which turns out to reduce heat in the summer as well as glare (that is where my desktop computer sits). ("Blind" makes it sound more complicated than it was. Basically it's a rectangle of upholstery material with the ends folded over and sewn to make tubes, held up with two pressure rods.) I went round and did a lot of air sealing in the basement rim joists and wherever I could see any gaps in the attic. Overall that took longer, but some of the gaps I fixed were largish, and I am sure there was a lot of result for the time put in there. (I also put mineral wool batts in the rim joist, but that's getting beyond the scope of a quick fix.)
In general air-sealing is the lowest-hanging fruit.