In tight pursuit of energy losses

An intact building envelope obviously makes a substantial contribution to the feeling of comfort in one’s own four walls. In real life, however, window and door seals are often in poor condition. The result: significant energy losses and increased noise disturbance. When eliminating the gaps, homeowners should take care to use products that are not harmful to health.

My home, my castle? If you look at the general condition of houses, this is only partially true in many cases. Whether windows or doors – there are glaring gaps in many parts of the domestic fortress. With unpleasant consequences for all residents. There are drafts everywhere and it doesn’t get really warm in winter, while the rooms heat up considerably in summer. In addition, residents suffer all year round from outside noise entering the house.

The consequences of a leaky building are severe. In view of the high energy prices, many homeowners and tenants are worried about the next heating bill. And the stress factor noise can lead to serious health problems. In its current “Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region”, the World Health Organization (WHO) lists – among other things – sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases and even prenatal damage and miscarriages as possible effects of noise-induced stress.

If you have the feeling that there are a lot of leaks in and around the house, you should take action. The best way is to hire a professional, for example a window fitter, building expert or energy consultant, to analyze the current situation. Based on their results, a roadmap for the implementation of modernization measures can be drawn up. The good news for homeowners and tenants is that it is not always necessary to insulate the whole building envelope or to completely replace all windows in order to improve the energy efficiency and achieve better noise protection.

 The proper sealing of windows and doors is a highly effective and much less expensive measure. If you want to do it yourself, you can simply apply self-adhesive rubber sealing strips along the frames and sash edges. It is, however, much more effective to hire a professional to do the work. Over time, not only the external sealing between window frame and masonry becomes brittle and permeable, but also the insulation between window pane and frame. Eliminating these defects requires a great deal of specialist know-how. A window fitter can also check to what extent existing roller shutter boxes need to be insulated. Furthermore, it may also make sense to insulate parts of the building envelope such as the window reveals.