Tips for Avoiding Home Heat Loss in Michigan

Michigan sees some significant temperature swings throughout the year. The summers can be hot and humid, and the winters can be cold and brutal. It’s in your best interest as a homeowner to make sure your home is well insulated so you can avoid heat transference, especially heat loss during the winter.

One of the biggest challenges homeowners face in addressing the problem of heat loss is that they might not know where the heat is escaping from in their home. It’s easy to feel drafts if there are holes or cracks near windows or doors, but the majority of heat loss in a home occurs in other places that might not be so easy to see or notice.

Here’s a quick overview of some of the most common sources of heat loss, and what you can do with help from local general contractors in Traverse City, MI to avoid issues in those locations.

Walls

You can expect a little more than a third of all heat loss in your home to happen through the walls. This makes sense when you consider the exterior walls come into physical contact with the exterior cold.

You can slow down conduction through the walls by filling those spaces with insulation. However, homes that were built with poor insulation, or very old homes that were built before insulation standards existed (or whose insulation might have deteriorated over time) might require you to take on a significant remodeling job if you’re to give yourself a sufficient level of insulation. You might have to take off drywall and then replace your interior walls, depending on the kind of insulation used.

Basements or floors

Research says approximately 15 percent of heat loss occurs through the basement or floors. Foundation walls and the cement slab in a basement don’t provide much in the way of insulation, and houses also frequently have very little insulation in the floors. The good news is if you have an unfinished basement, insulating the walls and your home’s floors is relatively easy to accomplish. This is a great task to take on if you’re already planning on finishing off the basement anyway.

Attics

Attics account for about a quarter of all heat loss that occurs in a home, which makes sense when you consider the fact that heat rises. Some of the issues that result in attic heat loss include cracks or holes, improperly installed vents and a general lack of insulation in some areas. Fixing your ventilation, sealing up those cracks and making sure the attic is properly insulated can prevent a lot of issues with heat loss in your home and make your home much more comfortable during the winter months.

Windows and doors

Another quarter or so of the heat loss occurs through windows and doors, usually do to air leaks and cracks in the foundation. You can deal with these issues by sealing or caulking up the joints around the window and door frames.

Interested in learning more about the work offered by our local general contractors in Traverse City, MI? Contact Qualified Roofing today to arrange a consultation.

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