Wednesday night marked the first session of Home Performance 101, an evening of building science and myth busting to take us one step closer to understanding energy efficiency in our homes. At the end of the night community leaders took home WeatherizeDC Home Performance certificates to mark their accomplishment:

Favorite lesson from the night? The Stack Effect in a Two Story Home

Our Home Performance 101 instructor helped us understand how air moves through a building by describing the stack effect.

As hot air moves upward it creates positive pressure and shoots your heat out your poorly insulated attics. The positive pressure on your top floors reduces the pressure in your basement forcing cold air to infiltrate through openings and leaks.

Weatherizing your home will plug up those leaks in the attic and basement to prevent the discomfort of a hot attic and cold basement while maintaining a healthy air flow in your home. Weatherizing will also save you up to 30% on those rising energy bills.

2010 is a year for conversations about energy. Join us this Monday for the MLK Day of Service Energy Canvass here.