Is your heating and air conditioning duct system robbing you of comfort and energy savings?  Throughout my many years of experience in the heating and air conditioning industry, one of the biggest and commonly overlooked problems in homes and businesses is the duct system.  The air distribution system, which is sometimes referred to as the duct system, is what carries heated and cooled air to every room in our homes or businesses.  Many people live in homes and work in businesses every day that have certain areas that are too hot or too cold depending on the outdoor temperature.  This can be caused by many things, but most of the time it is from a poorly designed duct system or one that has excessive air leakage.  When I use the term “leakage”, I am referring to the air that you have just paid to heat or cool which is actually leaking into your crawl space or attic.  The North Carolina Alternative Energy Corporation did a test study on air conditioning efficiencies of units versus actual efficiencies after new systems were installed and found 90% exhibited some sort of energy wasting or comfort robbing problem.

Other industry energy surveys revealed 93% of air conditioning systems have air leakage, poor indoor quality, drafts and uneven temperatures which may double your electric and gas usage.  Wow, that’s a big number when you start figuring that in dollars and cents of wasted energy, not to mention, that you are paying more to be uncomfortable.  If you are like many people, you notice each year gas and electric bills increasing and your home or business not cooling or heating well.

With the current rising energy cost and our countries movement towards energy efficiency, this should be a major concern to all home and business owners.  In addition, this assists to cut down on carbon emissions that are harmful to our environment which come from producing more electricity for our homes and businesses.

The reason this problem is not noticeable is because the majority of duct systems are in the attic or crawl spaces that are rarely entered by home or business owners.  I have been in many homes and businesses that have 50% duct leakage from outdated ducts, or duct runs that have separated and are just blowing air in the attic or crawl space producing a lot of dust.

Imagine on a 95 degree day!  It is 125 degrees in your attic and your air conditioning system is pulling 125 degrees air into your home allowing the system to run longer and cool less.  Furthermore, imagine the dust and odor being pulled into home from the attic or crawl space.

When you have a Service Technician or Comfort Advisor visit your home, they should be well trained and qualified to properly inspect your duct systems as part of the service. Installing a new air conditioning system alone will not guarantee the savings you should receive if nothing is done to address your old duct system which may be undersized or in poor condition.  In many homes, the air conditioning equipment is satisfactory.  The problem is the correct amount of air is not being supplied to the rooms to avoid temperature swings.

A professional air conditioning contractor will test your airflow with digital instruments to verify if you are getting correct airflow.  In many homes or businesses, a few duct modifications can correct the problem which will make it much more comfortable.  If it is determined that you need a new duct system, which most homes or businesses that are 15 years old do,  installing balancing dampers in each duct and adjusting  the airflow to each room will increase your comfort and energy savings.  In addition, sealing the ducts will also help to keep air leakage to a minimum and reduce the amount of dust that an air filter alone cannot do.

The best advice that I could give is to have your home or business duct system inspected by a professional air conditioning contractor and have inadequate duct systems repaired or replaced.  The most important thing is you do not have to settle for being uncomfortable in your home or business.  In most cases, the indoor air quality will improve along with air flow to problem areas.  Save energy and be more comfortable!  Have your duct system checked today!