Educating Homeowners to the Benefits of Air Sealing.
By Tim Smith,
Air sealing can
have numerous benefits for a home, but it can be
difficult to convince a homeowner of that fact. In order
to help customers discover the benefits of air sealing,
it is often necessary to provide information and
resources to back up facts.
Tell Homeowners About Energy Savings
One of the most effective ways to get to a homeowner's
heart is through his or her checkbook. Not having air
sealing performed has the potential to greatly increase
the amount of money that needs to be paid in order to
adequately heat a home or cool a home. The effect of not
having air sealing is similar to the effect of leaving a
window open all day, every day, all year. There are
numerous small cracks and gaps in a home that do not
make it anywhere near airtight. This makes it easy for
heated air to escape during the winter, increasing the
amount of air that needs to be heated, and cool air to
escape during the summer. Both of these reduce the
comfort of the home.
Emphasize Draft and Overall Home Comfort
One of the biggest complaints that homeowners have is
that certain areas of their home feel "drafty," meaning
that there is a significant increase in wind and
difference in temperature from the rest of the home.
Draftiness can easily be mitigated with the use of air
sealing, helping a home feel comfortable all year.
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Discuss
Air Quality
Air sealing also keeps out allergens such as pollen,
which is helpful for those who suffer from such
allergies. It also makes it easy to keep out pollutants
that have the potential to damage the home and the
health of those who live inside the home. Without air
sealing, contaminated air can come and go whenever the
wind is blowing in the correct direction.
Here are more suggestions to improve indoor air quality
you may want to suggest.
Talk About Durability
By not having a home air sealed, there are some unknown
damages that are able to occur. One such damage is that
of moisture invasion. In areas that tend to experience a
great deal of humidity, there is a very high chance that
air sealing will result in high levels of moisture
entering the home. This moisture can cause hardwood
floors and other materials that are not resistant to
degrade and be damaged.
Cheap and Quick
Air sealing is a procedure that can be done in a very
short amount of time, and for a small amount of money.
This reduces the amount of frustration that a homeowner
might experience.
Use Visuals
The vast majority of people are visual learners, with an
estimate of 65% of the world falling into this category.
As a result, using visuals is usually the most effective
way of getting a message through to the client. Using
visuals will increase overall understanding, decrease
the time it takes for that understanding to occur, and
generally make it more likely that a customer will have
air sealing completed. Using visuals is an excellent
technique to help a client understand any technique.
Above is a great chart from EnergyStar.gov.
A contractor should always seek to educate his or her
clients with regards to how to improve their home, their
finances, and their lives. By imparting information
regarding the benefits of air sealing, the chances that
a client will have the procedure performed increase.
About the Author
Tim Smith is a home improvement writer, enjoys doing DIY
projects and is interested in green living. Tim writes
for many websites such as
Calfinder and Clean Edison. |
