Are Your Outlets a Hidden Heating Cost?

An often overlooked drag on heating (and cooling) efficiency is electrical wall outlet drafts, specifically on exterior walls.

It’s likely that the electrical box mounted behind your outlet cover has a small gap between the box and the drywall. If this space isn’t sufficiently sealed and insulated, it allows unconditioned air to come in through your outlet covers. This is especially true in older homes that were not built with recent practices in mind. New construction methods take care to almost completely seal the home within conditioned spaces. Older homes generally have 2-4 times the air exchange rate as a recently built home. All of that unconditioned external air will need heated (or cooled).

In the winter these drafts are easy to test on the lower levels of your home. You just need to place your hand close to the outlet cover. Is there a draft of cold air? 

A more sensitive testing method is to use a smoke stick. These electronic devices put out a white, easily observable smoke that will follow the airflow. In lieu of an electronic smoke stick, you can just grab some cheap unscented incense to use, but be careful of nearby combustibles! Smoke sticks are especially handy when looking for air being pulled out of the home. Out-flowing drafts can be more difficult to detect than a blast of cold coming in.

Mitigating Outlet Drafts

An easy and affordable first step in mitigating outlet drafts is to apply foam outlet gaskets. These are pre-cut soft foam pieces around ⅛” thick. They come in a variety of cuts to accommodate wall plate styles, duplex, wall switches, etc. You just need to select the appropriate cut, remove the outlet wall plate, place the insulator pad over the outlet. then replace the wall plate. This will help tamp down those drafts and bring a little gain in efficiency and comfort.

While you are at it, you can check the light switches, too. You can also mitigate those drafts using pre-cut foam pieces.

Outlet insulation comes in a variety of precut configurations.