How Adding Air Sealing Can Enhance Your Business

Integrating air sealing into your business offers is a great way to add to your existing jobs and provide better value to your customers.

Three contractors stand six-feet apart facing each other in front of a residential home.
The Comfort Ready Home team meets with Mike McMahon of RichArt Builders onsite in Vancouver, WA

RichArt Builders in Vancouver, WA sees air sealing as a necessary component of any insulation job. According to weatherization manager, Mike McMahon, the company offers duct sealing, air sealing, ventilation and insulation because these measures tend to complement each other.
A contractor crouches in an attic above a dropped ceiling with insulation positioned ready to be installed.
This dropped ceiling above the shower was found to be connected to three open wall cavities.
 
During a weatherization job in Clark County, McMahon discovered the home had no existing floor insulation and minimal attic insulation, making it an ideal situation to perform effective air sealing. He recognized the homeowner would benefit from a noticeable improvement in comfort, and also save money on their utility bill after the air sealing and insulation project was complete.
A contractor laying on the ground under a home pointing at a spot to air seal.
The RichArt team preparing to seal a large opening under the bathtub drain in the crawl.

McMahon and his crew found significant areas of air loss in the crawlspace and several large openings in the attic. In the attic, they discovered many of the home’s interior walls were wide open on top, which allowed cold winter air to drop into the living space, making the home much more difficult to keep warm and maintain a comfortable temperature. The team’s air-sealing strategy was to effectively cap off the walls and insulate over the top to create a continuous blanket of insulation that retained the home’s heat. This comprehensive approach to weatherization satisfies customers through improved comfort, which means more referrals and less callbacks for contractors.
A contractor with headlamp and facemask is air sealing open parts of an attic before installing insulation.
The team sealing open wall cavities above a coved ceiling detail.

RichArt Builders provided additional value by specifying and installing exhaust ventilation, and calibrating the fans to control moisture and ensure the proper amount of fresh air flowed through the home.

Thinking about expanding your offers? Comfort Ready Home provides training, a field guide, marketing tools and technical assistance to add air sealing — along with other weatherization, HVAC and high-efficiency water-heating to your services — all at no cost. Visit the Contractor InfoHub or contact a Field Specialist in your area.