An energy envelope or building envelope refers to the external walls, windows, roof and floor of any building; not just commercial buildings, but houses as well. The energy envelope is what prevents heat from escaping into the environment in the winter or leaking into your home’s interior in the summer. While not technically a single component, the building envelope is an important aspect of ventilation, insulation and heating and cooling considerations.
Unfortunately, air conditioning companies like All Seasons, Inc., have come to realize that most folks don’t know about or understand the function of the building envelope at all. Here we discuss what it is and how it figures into your energy consumption as a whole.
How It Works
The building or energy envelope works with HVAC systems in increasing the energy efficiency of a building. It’s not a part of the system per se; simply put, the tighter the envelope is or the fewer gaps it has, the more effective it is in keeping conditioned air in and outside heat out of your working environment.
The better your building envelope, the less the load required by your HVAC system to stabilize interior temperatures. According to furnace companies, investing in a tighter building envelope during construction is a low-cost, high-return way of making buildings more energy-efficient.
Fixing Building Envelope Issues
You can eliminate issues regarding your building envelope by using either air sealing or a blower door. Air sealing creates a continuous thermal and pressure boundary, while a blower door will reveal hidden gaps and cracks through which air might be leaking. Air sealing allows you to further tighten your building envelope and maintain control of temperatures in your home all year round.
If you have problems with your building envelope, turn to All Seasons, one of the leading air conditioning and electric panel companies in WA, for all your heating and cooling needs. Give us a call at (253) 203-6200 or fill out our contact form to request more information regarding sales, installation, service, maintenance and repair. We serve clients in Tacoma, WA, and other nearby areas.