Does you home have cracking and peeling paint?  Can you see gaps between the trim pieces on the outside of you home or areas where caulk has cracked or is missing?  It's ok to take a second and walk outside to check, I'll still be here.

Ok, so yes you see cracking, bubbling, or peeling paint and cracked or missing caulk? 

This means it's probably time to repaint your home.  Although many factors are involved which can shorten or extend the life of a paint job, you home usually needs to be repainted every 5-8 years.  Direct sunlight, shade, temperature changes, plant growth, and color all impact the life of your paint job.  Sunlight can fade paint colors, causing differences in color between shaded and lighted areas.  Temperature causes caulk and you home to expand and contract which can lead to cracked caulk.  Plants that are close to or touch you home can cause paint to wear quicker than normal.  Darker colors fade more quickly than light colors.  But, the biggest factor in how long a paint job will last is the quality of the paint and caulk used.  Higher quality paint and caulk costs more but lasts longer so you won't have to paint as often.

Cracked paint and caulk not only looks bad but can lead to air and moisture intrusion.  When water penetrates your paint it is absorbed by the wood behind the paint.  This can cause the paint to bubble up and the wood to rot.  In cases where water infiltration continues over a long period of time mold can form, potentially causing health problems for you and your family.  Also, if a leak is bad enough and sustained for long enough, water can seep all the way into a wall causing damage to the structural elements of your home. 

So your home probably needs to be repainted but your thinking, "how is this going to save me money on my utility bills?"

According to Fine Homebuilding Magazine, 31% of the air leaks in your home come from the walls, floor and ceiling.  Air leakage is the main cause of wasted money on utility bills since it costs so much money to heat and cool air.  After leakage through walls, floor, and ceilings, your HVAC system is the next biggest culprit of air loss followed by your fireplace and then those old windows.

You may be thinking those old single pane windows are costing you the most money, but generally it is the air leaking around those windows that hurts the worst.  Replacing the old single pain windows may add more value to your home than some other updates, but from an energy saving stand point it doesn't top the list.  We'll save replacement windows and the pros and cons for another article.

Back to painting and energy savings.  Sustainable Construction Services takes extra time and care to ensure all penetrations on the outside of the home are sealed so that we can minimize air infiltration and minimize the amount of air that you have paid to heat and cool from escaping.  By sealing all the cracks and gaps we are lowering that 31% that escapes through the walls, floor and ceilings.  To minimize leaks through the floor and ceiling, SCS can seal any penetrations (usually HVAC vents and electrical fixtures) and add insulation.

While painting the exterior of your home won't solve your energy problems it is a great start and it can dramatically increase the look of your home while helping to prevent air infiltration, water infiltration and wood rot.