When contemplating whether or not you want to seal your ducts, you have to take many factors into account. We, of course, think it’s best to have them sealed because there are many benefits associated with the added process. It’s good for you and your family’s health, provides a more comfortable living experience in your home, and ensures that no harmful pollutants enter the air you breathe, just to name a few.
Here are six reasons you should seal your ducts this year.
1. Overall Comfort
If your ducts are not sealed, the inside of your home can be greatly impacted by the weather outside. That means, during the dog days of summer, when the temperature can exceed 90 humid degrees, certain rooms in your home will be unbearably hot. Similarly in the winter, when the temperature can sometimes drop below freezing, you may need several blankets to be comfortable in your home. Obviously, that’s not ideal.
You should be able to control the temperature in all rooms of your home. And now, with today’s technological advances, you can. Just one way to ensure this possibility is by investing in duct sealing. You won’t have to worry about the seasons changing inside as they do outside. Your home will become the comfy escape that it should be when the weather outside can be tough to tolerate.
2. Safety
As homeowners, we want to do everything we can to ensure that our space is a safe place to live and duct sealing is just one more way to make your house more comfortable. Take a look at the bigger picture of your home, if you will. During normal operation, your gas appliances, such as water heaters, clothes dryers, and furnaces release combustion gases, such as carbon monoxide, through ventilation systems. Leaky ductwork can cause backdrafting, which is when these gases flow back inside the home into your living space, which can quickly become a dangerous situation. However, having your ducts sealed will keep your home in a positive state and greatly minimize these risks. It will immediately improve the performance of your HVAC systems and the quality of the air you breathe, which is why duct sealing really is a must-have.
3. Cost Savings
While there is an initial cost associated with duct sealing, the money you save over the years will certainly make that upfront investment well worth it as leaky ducts actually reduce your heating and cooling efficiency by up to 20 percent; a substantial number. That’s why, if you’re proactive with having your ducts sealed, you can maximize your energy efficiency, ultimately lowering your electricity bill by up to 45%. This is one investment that is guaranteed to save you money in the long run, in addition to the many other benefits associated with duct sealing.
Also, if one day you decide to install a new heating and cooling system, a well-sealed duct system could allow you to downsize to a smaller, less costly system, which again, saves you money.
4. Protecting the Environment
We all want to do what we can to help preserve the environment and duct sealing is a wise decision to make in terms of its environmental impact. The energy we use in our homes often comes from the burning fossil fuels at local power plants, and that’s known to contribute to smog, acid rain, and climate change. Quite simply, having your ducts sealed minimizes the amount of pollution emitted into the atmosphere, which improves the quality of the environment. Sure, there’s only so much we, as one home can control, but if each of us does our part, we can make a difference and improve the quality of the air we all need to survive.
5. Indoor Air Quality
As mentioned prior, having your ducts sealed goes a long way to improving the air you and your family breathe inside of your home. If there are leaky ducts, fumes from household and garden chemicals, insulation particles, and dust can easily enter your duct system. For those who struggle with allergy problems or asthma, this can lead to quite the uncomfortable arrangement. You should be able to escape allergies by coming inside of the place you live, but because you have a leaky duct system, coming inside, in this case, does you no service at all. However, if you take the initiative to seal your ducts, you will immediately have cleaner air to breath as it prevents particulates and dust from building up in your home.
6. Peace of Mind
In addition to knowing the air you breathe in your home is safe and clean, when you choose to seal your ducts, you’ll know that you’re making a sound financial decision.
If you evaluate cost versus savings, the right decision becomes abundantly clear; that you should invest in duct sealing. In fact, research has found that duct sealing provides a quick payback of the initial amount you invest. In once instance, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research “concludes that the cost of sealing and/or insulating ductwork can often be paid for in three years from energy savings alone.” Combine that with the health and air quality improvements, this is a no-brainer.
While past duct sealing including taping old ductwork today, residential and commercial HVAC companies, such as us at Entek, are certified to offer AEROSEAL — the only product that can seal your system from the inside. Once treated, your ducts will be sealed up to 95%, immediately extending the life and efficiency of your current HVAC system. Additionally, when you partner with Entek, you may be eligible to receive rebates and incentives offered through the local county and public utility.
Duct sealing advancements have come a long way and is now a must-have upgrade in your home. Once the work is complete, both you and your family will be breathing cleaner air in no time.