Why Airtight Homes are Better than Leaky Homes

Although air leakage dilutes pollutants and provides fresh air, air leakage is not reliable at providing good indoor air quality. Air leakage tends to over-ventilate a home during cold windy weather and under-ventilate it during mild calm weather. Occupants in more airtight homes must open windows, use kitchen and bathroom vent fans, and install whole-house ventilation systems as needed to ensure fresh breathable air.

Experts agree that it is far more economical and comfortable to build an airtight home and install a whole-house ventilation system than to rely on air leakage for ventilation.

If your home is drafty and excessively dry during cold weather, leading to static-electricity shocks, then excessive air leakage is probably the cause. If your home is moist with condensation collecting on windows and cooking odors lingering, then your home may be relatively airtight already.

An instrument called a blower door can measure a home’s air leakage. With the help of an expert, you can evaluate your home’s airtightness and decide whether or not air leakage is a serious energy problem. If you seal most of the air leaks in your home, you may need a whole-house ventilation system because air leakage won’t be adequate to dilute pollutants. Whole-house ventilation is a good thing! A blower door test will tell you how much ventilation your home needs.