Weatherization

Weatherization is typically one of the best investments a New Hampshire homeowner or building owner can make to avoid energy waste, save money on heating and cooling, and reduce the environmental impact of their home or commercial building.

Shakes To Shingles offers weatherization services for homes, multi-family buildings, and commercial buildings in Concord, Manchester, Portsmouth, and the surrounding areas.

What is Weatherization?

Weatherization is the practice of protecting a building and its interior from the elements, particularly from sunlight, precipitation, and wind, and of upgrading a building to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency.

Believe it or not, the majority of North American homes suffer from inadequate insulation, air leakage, leaky duct systems, and other problems that contribute to discomfort in the home and unnecessarily high energy bills. These problems can occur even in new, code-built homes.

The terms “weatherization” and “weatherizing” are interchangeable and include air sealing the building’s perimeter, ductwork, and windows. Insulation is also often added to the walls and ceiling to improve energy efficiency and slow the transfer of heat between the living area and the outdoors.

How Does Weatherization Work?

Shakes To Shingles’ weatherization upgrades begin with a home energy audit, during which we determine the most cost-effective upgrades for your home. Using tools such as a blower door and infrared thermal imager, we determine where insulation is lacking, where air leaks are occurring, and where other home energy problems may be originating.

We then come up with a plan to solve these problems through low-cost, high-impact upgrades; implement the upgrades; and help you take advantage of any tax credits, rebates, incentives, or financing options that may be available to help offset the cost of the work, including the NH Saves program.

Benefits of Weatherization:

Weatherization services can do more than just lower your energy bills—they can also improve your health and safety. Benefits of weatherization include:

• Improved comfort – Weatherizing your home will help eliminate the winter drafts and summer hot spots that create uneven temperature zones in different rooms. Rapid thermal gain or loss creates the greatest sense of discomfort, but a home that is properly air sealed and insulated will maintain a consistent temperature in all weather conditions.
• Reduced heating & cooling bills – Weatherization can reduce energy costs by up to 30% on a monthly basis (nearly $1,000 annually), depending on the extent of the improvements and your lifestyle.
• Reduced environmental impact – Lowering home energy consumption reduces the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the environment while decreasing dependence on fossil fuels.
• Extended HVAC equipment life – A poorly insulated home with air leaks wastes lots of energy, forcing your furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner to work harder and longer. This extra run time adds additional wear and tear on the equipment and can shorten the system life cycle.
• Improved indoor air quality – Holes and gaps in a building’s exterior can let in outdoor air pollutants as well as water and moisture, which can lead to harmful indoor mold growth.
• Improved safety – When completed by a professional, the weatherizing process corrects potentially harmful issues like excessive moisture, improper combustion, and poor ventilation, making your home a healthier and safer place to live.

AeroBarrier Installation

AeroBarrier is an advanced way of air sealing a building to incredibly high standards of airtightness, including meeting any ENERGY STAR®, LEED, Passive House, or Net Zero requirements. 

AeroBarrier is a safe, low-VOC weatherization solution installed during new construction builds, either pre- or post-drywall. It’s fast to install, can be done with a single crew, and helps avoid expensive retests to meet building and energy codes. Using the pressure created by a blower door, AeroBarrier can penetrate even the smallest gaps and cracks for truly comprehensive air sealing throughout a building.

Shakes To Shingles is one of the only contractors offering AeroBarrier in New Hampshire—talk to our team today for cutting-edge energy efficiency for your new home or commercial building!