Ensuring that your home-comfort system is working as efficiently and optimally as possible is the ultimate way to fight outdoor temperature extremes. But because most home’s heating and cooling ductwork is out of sight, and therefore out of mind, means that it sometimes gets overlooked when you’re looking for ways to improve your energy efficiency.
However, an efficient heating and air conditioning home-comfort system is only as good as the maze of ducts that carry tempered air into your home, so if you’re considering upgrading your home-comfort system, it’s essential to ha
ve your ducts thoroughly evaluated before you do. This will prevent your costly conditioned air from your new home-comfort system from escaping through duct leaks and cracks.
When you consult with an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) contractor about performing a duct evaluation at your home, keep in mind that your contractor should indicate that he will:
- Check for air leaks in your ducts. Most systems are calibrated to release a certain constant amount of pressurized warm or cold air. When the ducts leak, your home-comfort system works harder and longer to maintain a steady and comfortable temperature in your home.
- Inspect your insulation levels: Overall home efficiency is increased by adding insulation in an attic or crawl space, keeping your home warmer and cooler, and reducing the amount of time your home-comfort system must work. You also can add insulation to your home’s ducts by wrapping them directly, keeping the air inside the ducts at a more constant temperature.
- Ensure that your ductwork is routed properly: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. It’s not always possible for ducts to follow a straight line, however. Your HVAC expert may be able to suggest minor changes or improvements that could result in large efficiency gains. If you are able to install new ducts, a duct evaluation can help determine the best and most efficient route.
- Determine just how clean they are: Dust buildup inside ducts may cause allergy flare ups. If allowed to build up, dust can make your home-comfort system work harder by clogging the system. It is recommended to change filters on central heating and air systems at least once a month. And you should have the cleanliness of your ducts checked annually. You might not necessarily need to have them professionally cleaned, but an inspection will help you determine that.
Make sure your home-comfort system ducts are as efficient as possible. Contact the experts at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning to discuss your home’s duct evaluation today. We’ve proudly served residential and commercial customers in the Twin Cities area for more than 37 years, and look forward to helping you with all of your heating and cooling needs.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home-comfort systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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