Does the State of a Building Impact its Carbon Footprint?

With the continued focus on climate change and the need to make sure we are being as energy efficient as possible, any increase in efficiencies can help with us doing our part. An energy efficient building is only as efficient as its building envelope, and the state of this can have a huge impact.

A building envelope is one of the primary parts of a building that can affect how energy efficient the building is. Heating and cooling efficiencies depend largely on the building envelope, as poor insulation can lead to the loss of heat in Winter, or more heat on hot summer days. Some common problems that might arise with building envelopes include:

-        Air leaks - You will want to make sure you keep your home air tight. Air leaks are the result of air being able to freely travel between the inside and outside of your home, through cracks and openings. Some common areas for air leaks include weather stripping around doors and windows, fireplace flue damper open, broken vents, or single pane windows.

-        Damaged Insulation - In your building envelope there should be insulation that helps to prevent the transfer of heat from one side to the other. This insulation can become damaged if the state of the building envelope is allowed to deteriorate. The most common problem is that the building envelope may develop a leak, and water and moisture transfers into the insulation. This prevents the insulation from being as effective.

When a building envelope is not in its best state, other systems will have to work harder to compensate. During Winter, this commonly means that a furnace or heating system will have to run for longer durations to achieve the same temperature. This means an increase in carbon footprint, and a waste of precious resources. Save money and be more green by contacting Westerly Restoration for your building envelope restoration.