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Air ducts distribute warm or cool air to your living space to maintain a comfortable temperature within your home. Typically, ductwork is hidden away in attics or in crawl spaces and costly leaks go undetected. According to recent government studies, a typical duct system loses 15 - 40% of the heating or cooling energy output by the central furnace or air conditioner. Duct leakage forces your system to run longer and work harder to maintain comfort levels. Unfortunately, this means large increases in your heating and cooling bills. In addition to putting a strain on your budget, leaky ducts can pull pollutants and irritants from your attic or crawl space directly into your house affecting your family's health.
Sealing of heating and cooling ducts is one of the most cost-effective improvements you can perform to substantially increase the efficiency of your furnace and air conditioner. All systems are tested and rated in a lab by ARI (American Refrigeration Institute) for efficiency. The problem is that there can be a large discrepancy between tested and installed efficiency. A poorly installed or leaky duct system will reduce the overall efficiency, i.e., you pay for a high efficiency system, yet you lose heated or cooled air into the attic or crawl space due to leaks in the duct system. The US Department of Energy estimates that home-owners lose between 10 - 15 billion dollars per year from problems with ductwork. In fact, repairing leaky ducts is often the most cost-effective energy saving improvement a homeowner can make.
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