Making our homes more energy efficient has been all the rage this past year. With the encouragement given by the federal tax credits, it seems like everyone is taking at least some initiative to make their homes more green friendly. It feels good to do your part for the environment, but the real incentive to make changes lies in the money that can be saved on monthly energy bills. Companies in the HVAC industry have especially benefited from these incentives, and they have been swapping out old inefficient furnaces and air conditioners all year round. The only problem is that many customers are still not seeing the reduction in cost that they were hoping for.
The problem is that their HVAC contractor neglected to check the duct system when they installed the new furnace and air conditioner. You can buy the highest grade unit on the market, but if you attach it to a leaky or un-insulated duct system you could be wasting up to 38% of the heat that is generated! How is this possible?
The Consequences of Leaky and Un-insulated Duct work
Think about the duct work system in your home. How much of the system do you actually see? For many homes, the system is completely hidden apart from the supply and return vents located in each of the rooms. Duct work is usually hidden in the attic, the basement, the garage, the walls, the floors, the ceilings, and the crawl space. The main issue is that some of these areas are often not exposed to the heating and cooling created by the furnace and air conditioner, and if the duct work isn’t insulated, you could have a heat (and cooling) loss problem on your hands.
To give you a better idea of what is happening, picture the hot air created by the furnace during the winter. As is flows through the duct work, it reaches the attic where there is no heat exposure. The duct work is extremely cold, and as the hot air passes through it absorbs a good percentage of the heat. By the time the heated air reaches the rooms in your home, it is warm, not hot. This causes the furnace to run for longer and longer and drives up the energy bills.
Lack of insulation on the duct work is a big enough problem, but if your ducts have leaks the problem is much more severe. Leaky ducts can be a problem all over the home even in areas that are exposed to the heating and cooling. Heat loss is part of the issue, but it is also combined with loss of air flow. When the air blowing through the ducts encounters a gap, a good percentage of that air will escape before it ever reaches the rooms in your home.
What Can You Do About It?
Call Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning! Our servicemen will be able to access and examine your entire duct work system for you. They will seal the ducts where leaks are present, replace sections that are crumbling, and insulate where the system is lacking. We understand the importance of having a well cared for duct system, and whenever we install new heating and cooling equipment, a full duct work inspection is a standard part of the procedure. Four Seasons wants you to experience the full benefits of high efficiency equipment, and we will go above and beyond to ensure that you do.