The study found that homeowners save an average of $50 annually on their energy bills by air sealing gaps, cracks and other exposed areas of the home with an insulating foam sealant. Participants of the study showed a return on investment of their product purchase in as little as four months after application.
The study findings indicate that the expected average one-year return on investment for homes using Great Stuff Pro and Great Stuff Insulating Foam Sealants ranged from 145 percent to 2,374 percent, with savings ranging from $26 to $163 depending on application area, cost and quantity of materials.
Project leader Doug Bibee, a 36-year veteran of Dow and member of the company's Building Solutions group, said the project's genesis came from a commonly accepted but undocumented belief regarding energy loss.
"There was this generally recognized notion in our industry that air leakage played a big part in energy losses for a typical home. What we couldn't find any information on was quantifying the energy savings across certain products dealing with air leakage," Bibee said. "We wanted to know how much air leakage was reduced in certain parts of home using a product like Great Stuff™ Insulating Foam Sealant. It was equally important, however, that products could be used by the average homeowner over the course of a few hours or weekend."
To help homeowners conduct their own study, the Dow team took common leak locations discovered during the weatherization project and created an Air-Seal Audit Checklist. This document helps homeowners navigate and identify their homes' own air loss trouble spots and provides further information on the best remedies.
This weatherization project is part of a larger company initiative to quantify the impact of air sealing and insulating, and to educate homeowners about weatherization practices that help reduce a home's energy consumption.
Visit www.familyfeatures.com/greatstuff to learn more and to get an Air-Seal Audit Checklist.
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