For the best comfort and energy savings possible, professional HVAC experts suggest you seal your home’s outer envelope. But for whole-house weatherization, you should also seal your indoor ductwork so that conditioned air isn’t escaping into unconditioned spaces. If you want to save energy, it’s time to learn how sealing ducts can make a big difference in your energy bills.
In a typical home with central heating and air, about 20 percent of the heated or cooled air moving through the ductwork is lost through gaps and cracks caused by poor ductwork connections. One major result is a higher monthly energy bill while another is difficulty keeping the home comfortable, even with properly sized and maintained equipment.
The best way to put a stop to wasteful leaks is to seal ducts. Despite its name, duct tape should never be used to seal ductwork because it will peel and crack over time. Instead, you should hire a trained HVAC technician to use a compound called duct mastic or some other sealant especially designed for sealing ductwork. The technician won’t have access to ducts running through the walls and between the floors of your home, but any ductwork in the attic, garage or crawlspace can be sealed and insulated to provide you with the energy savings and improved comfort you’re looking for.
Once the technician has finished sealing ducts, you will undoubtedly notice an increase in heating and cooling efficiency. In fact, with the newly sealed ducts, you could qualify for a smaller HVAC system at your next upgrade, lowering both the purchase price and the operating costs for many years to come.
There’s no downside to sealing ducts, so if you suspect that your system is operating less efficiently than it should, please contact us at Climate Control Company where our technicians are available to answer all of your heating and cooling questions. We serve much of Western Colorado from Glenwood Springs, with experience dating back to 1956.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about sealing ducts and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
Climate Control Company services Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado.
