HOMEWRAP

Michael Holigan: Today we're going to talk about putting a wind breaker on your new house. If you've ever been out on a cold, windy day wearing a sweater, you know that wind can cut right through, and you need a wind breaker to stay warm. Well, your house is exactly the same. Did you know that the average house has over half a mile of cracks and gaps in it? That's a lot of places you're losing energy dollars right through your walls, up to 40% of your utility bills. Every house wall has a resistance to heat or cold. That resistance is called an R-Value. Now take the average house wall. It has an R-Value of 13. If you take an average wind of 9 m.p.h., without the Homewrap on your house, the R-Value drops by over 50%! Here's how the Homewrap helps. When a home is built, the insulation is like the sweater. It may look warm, but the wind can push right through the cracks and gaps. Our wind breaker is called Homewrap. It reduces air infiltration by as much as 60%. It's easy to apply. Simply roll it out and nail it down. Window and door openings are covered then cut and wrapped to give the home a complete seal. After the windows and doors are installed, we tape around the perimeter. In all homes sealants should be used to fill cracks, but when building a house today, a quality Homewrap is best at stopping air infiltration. And it lasts the lifetime of the home. Homewrap makes your home more comfortable and it will save you money on utility bills. Another benefit of a quality Homewrap is it prevents moisture from getting inside the house. Anytime you kick on an exhaust fan it tries to draw exterior air and moisture into your home, and you don't want that. Let's go on the other side of the wall and see what Al's up to.

Al Carrell: Remember how your momma used to tell you to button up your overcoat? But then, what about all the moisture your body created? Where does it go? It's the same thing inside your home. Did you know that the average family produces 70 pounds of moisture a day? It comes from cooking, taking showers, doing laundry, even mopping the floor. As you can see, we've got a pot of boiling water right here. I want to show you something. If you take some of this Homewrap, and you put it over the top like that, you can see the steam is coming out. All we have to do is put our pair of glasses up here and you can see that the steam comes through the Homewrap and fogs up the glasses. The Homewrap allows the moisture to come through, and it does the same thing for your home. Controlling air infiltration is so important because every time air pushes into your home, it replaces air you've already paid to heat or cool. How much does it cost? Very little. The average home will cost well under $500 to wrap. And the savings will depend on what kind of climate you live in. So investing several hundred dollars when your new house is built will only take two to eight years for the return investment.

M.H.: Not all builders use a quality Homewrap. Remember to ask your contractor to add it to your house. No matter whether you live in a hot climate or a cold climate, it's going to save you money on your new house.

Click here for more information on Dupont Homewrap.

Episode 33 1996 - 97 Season

| Window Dressings | Iron Cleaner | Homewrap | Installing a Ceiling Fan | Walkmaker | Measuring with Moola | Conventional Loans |

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