Sources of Heat Loss in the House

There are three main sources of heat loss in the house that when fixed may save you up to $500 per year. One source of heat loss that you may not have considered is the fireplace. Some homes have an open fireplace that is certainly just like leaving a window open. Warm air escapes through the chimney, which acts as a funnel, drawing air up and out. Even if you have a firebox installed into your fireplace and the gaps all around sealed, there is still the damper.

The damper creates an airflow without which the fire could not burn, but when there is no fire going, leaving the damper open is like leaving a window open. In fact, you could lose up to 30% of your air conditioning heat through the damper.

Not all houses have an attic, but many do, so if you have access to your attic by means of a folding stair, the ceiling and insulation will have been removed to install it. Frequently it is just covered up by a thin piece of plywood that may even have gaps around the edges. To find out, switch on the attic light at nighttime and view it from below. If you can see specks of light, there are gaps that need closing. In fact, the whole area should be covered with an attic stair cover.

The third place for heat loss is if your clothes dryer exhaust is ducted to an outside opening. Even when the door is shut, warm air can still escape through the clothes dryer. Add a dryer vent seal to solve the problem and keep out bugs as well.

Find out more about the Advantage Air http://www.advantageair.com.au range of reverse cycle ducted air conditioning including the Gen 3.