The following is an opinion piece written by Amit Gupta, CEO of Aeroseal.
As New York prepares to implement its 2026 All-Electric Buildings Act, the transition to clean and efficient electrical technologies marks a bold step toward a low-carbon future. Heat pumps and other innovations will redefine how buildings are powered and heated, helping to reduce emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. However, to fully realize the promise of electrification, attention must also be paid to something much less visible: airtightness.
Even the most advanced electrical heating and cooling systems can only perform at their best when the building envelope and ducts are properly sealed. Air leaks dilute efficiency gains, increase energy costs and make it more difficult to deliver the comfort and performance these systems are designed to achieve.
In July, the New York State Building Code and Fire Prevention Board approved the new all-electric standards. When they take effect in 2026, they will apply to most new residential buildings of seven stories or less and commercial buildings of more than 100,000 square feet, expanding in 2029 to include taller residential buildings and smaller commercial buildings.
While the change has been long overdue, and many in the industry are ready to lead the charge, it brings both opportunities and learning curves. The goal is not just compliance; it ensures that these buildings are healthy, affordable and as efficient as possible. Achieving this means combining electrification with strong air sealing practices so that air conditioning stays where it should, systems run efficiently and residents enjoy greater comfort.
Professionals in the architect, engineer and contractor (AEC) community have seen how uncontrolled air leaks can undermine performance, allowing air to move between units or to the outside, increasing energy consumption and straining large mechanical systems. Conversely, sealing these leaks can reduce energy use by more than 30%, enabling smaller, more cost-effective systems that deliver sustained savings and superior comfort.
Electrification is the future of buildings. Air sealing is what ensures the future works as promised, and the evidence is clear. In a UC Davis-led field demonstration and model study of 18 new multifamily homes in Minnesota, aerosol-based envelope sealing resulted in a 67% to 94% reduction in leaks and a 25% reduction in heating costs. Envelope tightness ranged from 0.2 to 1.4 ACH50, with half of the units exceeding code requirements by more than 80%.
Of course, not all air sealing methods offer the same results. Traditional hand-applied sealants can be effective, but their reach is limited. Getting to micro leaks hidden behind siding, framing, or junction boxes is nearly impossible by hand, and once the ducts are behind walls and ceilings, it’s completely unattainable without demolition.
Advanced spray sealing technologies can find and seal these leaks automatically, removing the elements of human error and inaccessibility from the equation. For example, in a US Department of Energy study of 40 residential units in North Carolina, ductwork in 20 homes was manually sealed and a 59% reduction in leaks was achieved. The other 20 homes were sealed using Aeroseal’s aerosol process and achieved a 90% reduction, reducing leaks to approximately 1.5 CFM/100 square feet, more than four and a half times tighter than the manual sealing results of 7.0 CFM/100 feet.2. This difference translates directly into smaller, more efficient HVAC systems, operational cost savings and proven performance.
The same dynamic is developed in projects throughout the country. On New York’s Upper West Side, progress on the 32-unit 153rd Street Apartments stalled because the team was unable to meet the airtightness requirements of the Passive House Standard, a rigorous, above-code benchmark for building energy efficiency and comfort. Previous attempts at manual sealing had been expensive and ineffective. But with advanced envelope air sealing technology, the site sealed all 32 units to the standard in just eight days, allowing the project to move forward.
On a much larger scale, managers of the 600-unit all-electric Soleil Lofts in Herriman, Utah, wanted to cut energy use in half to meet Net Zero performance standards. The units were sealed to 1 ACH50, allowing the use of smaller 1.5 ton VRF heat pumps instead of 3.5 ton gas furnaces. Air conditioning costs were reduced by 50%. And the energy savings made rooftop solar deployment economically viable.
Both projects, and hundreds more like them, illustrate a larger truth: Airtightness should be treated as a central design and performance factor, not an afterthought. When buildings leak, all other systems have to work harder. Costs are rising. Performance drops. When buildings are sealed, HVAC loads are reduced, renewable energy becomes more viable, and residents enjoy lower bills and healthier indoor environments.
As the construction industry moves toward all-electric new construction, airtightness must be treated as a core design priority. It has a direct influence on the cost of construction, the size of the system, the comfort of the occupants and the performance and resistance of the building. For developers, this means recognizing it as an investment that could reduce overall project and operating costs in the long term. For the AEC community, it means planning construction timelines and coordination so that sealing occurs at the right time, leveraging the right technologies to overcome stringent local construction standards, emerging code, rigorous certification requirements, and broader performance goals.
For a rapidly evolving industry, the message is clear: the transition to clean energy depends on getting this invisible layer right. By prioritizing advanced sealing techniques, developers and contractors can not only comply with New York’s new mandate, but also gain an edge in a market that increasingly rewards projects that perform as promised.
Amit Gupta is a mechanical engineer with experience at Tata Motors, Carrier and 75F, besides being the CEO of Aeroseal since its inception in 2010.
