Energy Bills Skyrocketing? Discover How Crawl Space Encapsulation Can Slash Your Heating Costs by 15% or More in 2024

If you’ve been shocked by your energy bills lately, you’re not alone. From March 2022 to June 2025, average monthly energy bills rose from $196 to $265—a 35 percent jump, and spending on home heating this winter is projected to increase by 8.7% to $941, up from $866 last winter. With energy costs continuing to soar, homeowners are desperately searching for effective ways to reduce their monthly utility expenses without sacrificing comfort.

One of the most overlooked yet powerful solutions lies right beneath your feet: crawl space encapsulation. This home improvement strategy has been quietly saving homeowners thousands of dollars annually while creating healthier, more comfortable living environments.

The Hidden Energy Drain in Your Home

An unsealed or poorly insulated crawlspace allows moisture, humidity, hot air, and cold air into your home through your floor. In the winter, cold air in the crawlspace can make your home feel cold, forcing your heating system to work overtime. When a crawlspace isn’t properly sealed, cold air in winter and hot, humid air in summer can easily enter. This forces your heating and cooling systems to work harder to keep temperatures comfortable, resulting in higher energy bills.

Damp air is more difficult to heat and cool, and requires more energy to get to your comfort level. You could have the most energy efficient windows and doors, LED lighting, and HVAC system, and will have enormous heating and cooling bills, all because of your crawl space.

What Is Crawl Space Encapsulation?

Crawl space encapsulation is the process of sealing off the crawl space from external elements. This involves installing a vapor barrier along the walls, floors, beams, and joists to prevent moisture from entering and causing damage. The encapsulation typically includes a sump pump, an interior drain system, and a heavy-duty plastic barrier.

Crawl Space encapsulation involves sealing the entire crawl space with a durable vapor barrier, insulation, and sometimes a dehumidifier. These elements work together to block out moisture, prevent drafts, and protect your home’s structure.

Proven Energy Savings That Pay for Themselves

The energy savings from crawl space encapsulation are substantial and well-documented. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average heating and cooling savings after insulating is 15%. Some studies show even greater benefits, with this process makes homes an average of 18% more energy efficient.

The US Department of Energy has found that “homeowners can save an average of 15% on heating and cooling costs (or an average of 11% on total energy costs) by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces”.

For North Carolina homeowners dealing with the region’s humid climate, these savings can be particularly significant. You can save up to 20% on energy costs with proper encapsulation, and you can potentially save 15 to 25% on your energy costs and create a healthier home.

How Encapsulation Works to Cut Your Bills

Encapsulation creates a barrier that blocks drafts, maintaining a stable indoor climate and helping to keep energy costs in check. By adding an extra layer of insulation and protection, encapsulation reduces energy consumption and keeps your home comfortable.

The process works year-round:

• Winter Benefits: During the cold winter months, unsealed crawl spaces can be a source of heat loss. Encapsulation helps create an insulated barrier, preventing warm air from escaping through the crawl space into the cold dirt ground. Your heating system won’t have to work as hard to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature, reducing energy consumption.
• Summer Benefits: Crawl space encapsulation helps maintain lower humidity levels in your home, which is especially valuable during the hot summer months. When your crawl space is sealed and insulated, your home’s interior stays cooler, even in the peak of summer.

Beyond Energy Savings: Additional Benefits

While energy savings are compelling, crawl space encapsulation offers additional benefits that protect your investment:

• Structural Protection: Encapsulation keeps the joists and beams dry, preventing them from rotting, twisting, or crushing over time
• Improved Air Quality: Up to 50% of the air you breathe indoors can come from crawl spaces within your home. Crawl spaces that are not closed off are often home to debris, mold spores, pollen, and other pollutants. When these airborne pollutants circulate throughout the home, they can trigger everything from minor allergies to major respiratory problems
• Home Value Increase: Encapsulated crawl spaces can increase home values by an average of 10%

Tax Credits Make 2024 the Perfect Time to Act

Both insulating a crawl space and crawl space encapsulation are projects that are eligible for an insulation tax credit. It’s part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 series of energy-efficient home improvement tax credits. This credit is for 30% of the cost of the project materials – not labor. The maximum tax credit for an insulation project is $1,200 per year until 2032.

Professional Expertise Matters

For homeowners in the Greensboro area, Crawl Space Encapsulation Guilford County, NC services are available through Clean Air LLC, a locally-owned company that specializes in improving home air quality and energy efficiency. At Clean Air LLC, we take pride in providing top-notch crawlspace encapsulation services and air duct cleaning in and around Greensboro, NC. Our team of experts are dedicated to ensuring that your crawlspace is clean, dry, and free of any harmful contaminants. Our goal is to take care of our customers and exceed their expectations with every job we do.

We Serve Guilford, Randolph, Alamance and Forsyth Counties NC, bringing professional expertise to help homeowners combat rising energy costs through proven crawl space solutions.

The Cost of Waiting

With energy costs continuing their upward trajectory, the cost of delaying action grows every month. One of the biggest advantages of encapsulating your crawl space is the prevention of future problems. If you address the issue before it escalates, you avoid more extensive and expensive repairs. Waiting too long can result in needing to rip up floors, cut joists, install new footings, and more, all of which can be disruptive and costly.

The initial investment in crawl space encapsulation pays off over time as you continue to enjoy reduced energy costs and increased energy efficiency 365 days a year.

Take Action Now

As energy bills continue to strain household budgets across North Carolina, crawl space encapsulation represents one of the most effective ways to regain control over your monthly expenses. It will keep your home more comfortable and enable your HVAC system to work more efficiently for years to come, saving you potentially thousands of dollars over the years.

Don’t let another heating season drain your wallet. Contact a professional crawl space encapsulation service today to learn how this proven solution can transform your home’s energy efficiency and put money back in your pocket every month. With federal tax credits available through 2032 and energy costs showing no signs of decreasing, 2024 is the ideal time to invest in your home’s future comfort and affordability.