|
|
insulate Your Ducts and Lower Your Bills
One of the most important systems in your home, though it's hidden
beneath your feet and over your head, may be wasting a lot of your
energy dollars. Your home's duct system, a branching network of tubes
in the walls, floors, and ceilings, carries the air from your home's
furnace and central air conditioner to each room. Ducts are made of
sheet metal, fiber glass, or other materials.
Unfortunately,
many duct systems are poorly insulated or not insulated properly. Ducts
that leak heated air into unheated spaces can add hundreds of dollars a
year to your heating and cooling bills. Insulating ducts that are in
unconditioned spaces is usually very cost effective. If you are buying
a new duct system, consider one that comes with insulation already
installed.
Sealing your ducts to prevent leaks is even more
important if the ducts are located in an unconditioned area such as an
attic or vented crawl space. If the supply ducts are leaking, heated or
cooled air can be forced out unsealed joints and lost. In addition,
unconditioned air can be drawn into return ducts through unsealed
joints. In the summer, hot attic air can be drawn in, increasing the
load on the air conditioner. In the winter, your furnace will have to
work longer to keep your house comfortable. Either way, your energy
losses cost you money.
Although minor duct repairs are easy to
do, ducts in unconditioned spaces should be sealed and insulated by
qualified professionals using the appropriate sealing materials. Here
are a few simple tips to help with minor duct repairs.
Duct Tips
- Check
your ducts for air leaks. First, look for sections that should be
joined but have separated and then look for obvious holes.
- If
you use tape to seal your ducts, avoid cloth-backed, rubber adhesive
duct tape, which tends to fail quickly. Researchers recommend other
products to seal ducts: mastic, butyl tape, foil tape, or other
heatapproved tapes. Look for tape with the Underwriters Laboratories
logo.
- Remember that insulating ducts in the
basement will make the basement colder. If both the ducts and the
basement walls are uninsulated, consider insulating both.
- If
your basement has been converted to a living area, hire a professional
to install both supply and return registers in the basement rooms.
- Be sure a well-sealed vapor barrier exists on the outside of the insulation on cooling ducts to prevent moisture buildup.
- When
doing ductwork, be sure to get professional help. Changes and repairs
to a duct system should always be performed by a qualified professional.
- Ducts
that don't work properly can create serious, life-threatening carbon
monoxide (CO) problems in the home. Install a CO monitor to alert you
to harmful CO levels if you have a fuel-burning furnace, stove or other
appliance, or an attached garage.
- For new
construction, consider placing ducts in conditioned space, space that is
heated and cooled, instead of running ducts through unconditioned areas
like the crawlspace or attic, which is less efficient.
Long-Term Savings Tip: You
can lose up to 60% of your heated air before it reaches the register if
your ducts aren't insulated and they travel through unheated spaces
such as the attic or crawlspace. Get a qualified professional to help
you insulate and repair ducts.
Note: Water
pipes and drains in unconditioned spaces could freeze and burst in the
space if the heat ducts are fully insulated, because there would be no
heat source to prevent the space from freezing in cold weather.
However, using an electric heating tape wrap on the pipes can prevent
this.
|
|
|
|
|
