Specification Sheet

How To Stop Drafts and Save On Energy Bills
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long -- the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a
folding pull-down attic stair, a whole house fan, a fireplace or clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in
your home every day.
Drafts from these often overlooked holes waste energy and cost you big in the form of higher energy bills. Drafts
are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home.
Drafts occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the
benefits that caulk and weather stripping provide to minimize energy loss and drafts.
But what can you do about drafts from the four largest “holes” in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole
house fan, the fireplace and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and
inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.
Attic Stairs
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an insulated attic stair cover. An attic stair cover seals the
stairs, stopping drafts and energy loss. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the
insulation removed from the ceiling.
Whole House Fans and Air Conditioning Vents
When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square
feet) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were
there have to be removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of
plywood.
Your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors. In the winter, the
attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And
what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned
attic? That thin sheet of plywood.
Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the attic door.
Try this yourself: at night, turn on the attic light and shut the attic
stairway door -- do you see any light coming through?
If you do, heated and air-conditioned air is leaking out of these large
gaps in your home 24-hours a day. This is like leaving a window or
skylight open all year ‘round.
Much like attic stairs above, when whole house fans are
installed, a large hole (up to 16 square feet or larger) is created
in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have
to be removed, leaving only the drafty ceiling shutter between
you and the outdoors.
An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole
house fan shutter seal. Made from white textured flexible
insulation, the shutter seal is installed over the ceiling shutter,
secured with Velcro, and trimmed to fit. The shutter seal can
also be used to seal and insulate air conditioning vents, and is
easily removed when desired.