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An efficient home maintains moderate temperatures and increased air quality.

As a result, some of the most important changes to section 9.36 of Alberta’s new building code for improved energy efficiency are not the actual R-value of the walls. Instead, it is in making a house more air tight. Air sealing (aka maintaining an air barrier) works to keep the air inside the home warm and dry. Often people overlook air gaps in the construction of a new home, which is a major cause of heat escaping from a house.

By minimizing air leaks and controlling the air flow throughout the home; it reduces the occurrences of hot and cold spots in all rooms. The end result is a more balanced temperature throughout the home and a more comfortable interior.

With Broadview Homes, our air sealing is achieved through:

  • Continuity of insulation
  • Continuity of the air barrier
  • Thermal resistance of envelope components
  • Window and door requirements best practices for installation

Together all of these elements help contribute to make a home more air tight, so that warm air stays inside and cold air stays outside. When you combine increased insulation with an air-tight house, then it leads to a greatly improved housing envelope. In other words, all of these parts working together make a truly great energy-efficient home.

Interested in reading about more advantages that come with improved energy-efficient new home construction? Our next article in this series can be found here.