We just moved in and had an energy audit done by a professional, and they flagged that we were losing a ton of air through the ceiling in our kitchen pantry/ closet. The ceiling itself is a weird hodgepodge of wood scraps, pipes, etc.
What is the best way to air seal this to improve efficiency?
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I see two choices for the large gaps:
If you want/need insulation here, feel free to add fiberglass, rockwool, foam board or whatever other insulation is necessary to whatever R-value you need, then cover it up.
Once the big gaps are covered up, spray foam around all the corners, edges, and penetrations. If there are places where you couldn't get a tight fit and the gap is still a bit big for the spray foam, push backer rod in first and spray foam over that.
Use fire-block rated foam if there's space above this, such as additional living space or an attic, or if there are appliances nearby that could cause a fire (such as HVAC equipment or a dryer).
I'd get a piece of xps foam board and cut it to fit vertically above the closet door jamb header.
Add some scrap nailing edges for the vertical xps to sit against and either tack it onto the nailers or foam PL it to the nailers. Cut the two holes for the abs and one for the 1/2" pex and then caulk or spray foam around the sides and penetrations depending on the size of the gaps. Backer rod is a good idea as well.
Did your energy guy give you an ACH50 number?
