How important is it to seal electrical
outlets against air leakage?
Despite the tireless efforts of energy
analysts and product manufacturers,
nobody will ever come up with a
truly valid answer to this question.
One obstacle is that finding the
"average" air leakage through electrical
outlets is like trying to calculate
the average size of rocks.
Research reports and published
pie charts show that air leakage
through outlets can account for 15%
to 25% or more of the total air infiltration
in a house. But common
sense tells us that the amount of air
that flows through electrical outlets
must depend on the tightness of the
exterior sheathing and siding, the
wall insulation, and the number of
unsealed wiring holes