January 11, 2018

St. Louis home in the winter

The type of foundation your home was built on has a big impact on the ways you can conserve energy.

As the cold winter months rush in Missouri, many homeowners are scrambling to try to minimize their heating costs and maximize their energy efficiency. There are things that you can do to keep the cold air out and the warm air in.

A sad reality is that how your house was constructed plays a part in how efficient your HVAC system is. There are some ways you can enhance your efficiency. The type of foundation that your home was built on has a major impact on the ways that you can conserve energy. If you have a damaged foundation, it might not just be causing structural problems, it can be hindering your energy budget.

The good news is that depending on the type of foundation you have, there are ways that you can shore up the cracks and keep the hot air in.

If You Have a Damaged Foundation

If the foundation of your home is damaged, much of the warm air may be leaking out through the cracks. If you want to reduce your bills and increase the energy efficiency of your St. Louis HVAC system, then you will want to seal around windows and doors to ensure that hot air isn’t heating the neighbors. If your foundation is in ruins, and it is riddled with cracks, that is making your home a sieve.

How to Spot Foundation Problems

If you notice that your floors are sloping or that they aren’t level, then that might signal a problem with your foundation. If your home has a stone or brick foundation, sloping floors might be a sign that your HVAC is working overtime – even if you don’t know it. When the structure of your home shifts, that creates cracks in your windows and doors. If you can find all the ways that air is making its way in and out, then you might be able to seal them. In general, though, it is important to have a structural engineer evaluate how much of a problem the foundation is – not just for your HVAC system, but for the integrity of your house.

If Foundation Problems are Extreme

If you have a severe foundation problem, then it might be costing you more than you think. If your foundation is in disrepair, ducts can separate and cause an imbalance in your HVAC system. That can lead to general mismanagement of the way that air circulates around the home.

The foundation of your home is not only important for its structural integrity, but it also has a huge impact on how well your HVAC system works. If you think you have a foundation problem, then hiring a St. Louis HVAC contractor might not be the best first step. Maybe you need to have your home evaluated by a structural engineer to make sure that heating and cooling aren’t your biggest concerns.

St. Louis HVAC System Experts

For more than 35 years, Scott-Lee Heating Company has been providing HVAC system solutions. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation, please feel free to give us a call at (314) 200-0788 or complete our short online contact form. A Scott-Lee Comfort Specialist will be happy to help you improve the comfort level of your home environment.