If you have been trying to conserve energy but haven’t seen a noticeable improvement in your monthly power bills, it could be because your heating system has leaky ductwork. Unsealed cracks in your ducts can seriously undermine your home’s HVAC efficiency. Not only does this cost you money in the form of wasted energy (and the resulting effects on your power bills), it also can leave your home feeling uncomfortable and uninviting.

By sealing ductwork, you can conserve energy, lower your annual heating costs and make it easier to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout your home. Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Despite its name, duct tape is a poor choice for sealing leaks since it has a tendency to dry out. Instead, choose metal tape or duct mastic to make repairs.
• Sealing ductwork can be difficult since ducts usually run under floors or inside walls. Focus most of your attention on the areas that you can easily reach, such as the attic, crawl space, basement or garage.
• Check carefully where ducts connect to heat registers, since these areas are prone to leaks. Preventing air from escaping around registers can add up to big energy savings.
• Try insulating around exposed ductwork to reduce heat loss. This is especially helpful if your ducts run through an unheated basement. If you use an air conditioner during the summer, you should also make sure that you insulate any ducts that run through your attic to prevent the hot summer air from heating the air inside the ducts.
• You may want to think about hiring someone to seal your ducts for you. Sealing ductwork can be a challenging job and sometimes it is best left to the professionals. By using specialized equipment, HVAC technicians can often find leaks that you would have otherwise overlooked. The cost of duct sealing usually pays for itself quickly through energy savings.

If you live in the greater Sacramento area and want to learn more about sealing ductwork, contact us at All Year Heating, Air Conditioning & Solar. We pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ductwork sealing and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

All Year services the Greater Sacramento area.  Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!