Duct Leakage. Air leaks in and out of ducts at all the connections within a system. This leakage means that air that occupants have paid to have heated or cooled escapes from the heating or cooling system and does not heat or cool the house. Also, air leaks into the heating or cooling system increase the amount of outside air that must be heated or cooled. Outside air is usually cooler (for heating) or warmer and more humid (for cooling) than air inside the house and the heating or cooling capacity of the system is then used to heat or cool this outside air instead of the air in the house. Even with the heating and cooling system off, the leaks in the ducts increase the ventilation rate of the house - increasing the need for heating or cooling.

Homeowner spends $8365 on a new home comfort system and their utilities actually went UP!

Repairing ducting systems can significantly reduce your utilities. Many people will replace their heating and cooling system in hopes of better comfort and lower utilities, and after the heating and cooling system is installed they find that their challenges are no better than before or in some cases worse! Many of today's contractors will neglect this area of the system, due to lack of knowledge or inability to communicate the value of a properly designed duct system. In many cases your system may not need to be replaced to fix comfort issues and lower utilities!

Florida Solar Energy Center

Researchers found that by repairing leaking ductwork, cooling energy was reduced by an average of 17.4%.

Pacific Gas & Electric Study

In the Summer of 1990, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) hired Proctor Engineering Group to investigate the potential energy savings in residential air conditioners and forced air gas furnaces. The study targeted clients with high utility bills. The objectives of the study were to:

1. Identify the major problems with existing residential air conditioning installations

2. Identify the major problems with existing furnace installations

3. Determine what actions could be taken to correct those problems

4. Estimate the potential savings from those actions

The results are startling. Here is a summary of their findings on air distribution problems:

· 93% Duct leakage greater than 150 cfm (recommended maximum in this study)

The PG&E study identified a significant source of untapped electrical and gas savings. In all cases the cooling energy use could be lowered by 10% to 30% without extreme effort. In addition, these repairs have the potential to improve customer satisfaction.

The Fresno project showed that the existing HVAC contractor infrastructure was not able to identify and solve the problems that led to the high bill complaints. This can be attributed to a business environment that concentrates on low first cost and lowest bid. This business atmosphere results in poor installations and inadequate time available to diagnose and repair extreme problems that exist.

1999 Department Of Energy Research

The following statements were made in a 1999 Department Of Energy Research report entitled "Improving the Efficiency of Your Duct System".

Energy Losses and Comfort

"Typical duct systems lose 25 to 40 percent of the heating or cooling energy put out by the central furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner."

"Homes with ducts in a protected area such as a basement may lose somewhat less than this while some other types of systems (such as attic ducts in hot, humid climates) often lose more."

"Duct repairs could be the most important energy improvement measure you can do..."

Health Hazards

"Leakage in the duct system can be hazardous to your health. Especially problematic are leaky returns in an enclosed space or garage that also contains the furnace."

Get A Professional!

"You should not attempt to repair duct leaks. Safe duct repair requires a licensed heating, ventilating and air conditioning contractor... one that has sent their technicians to a good duct repair school. One of the special tools that would be used by a technician is a blower door."

How does humidity levels in a home effect comfort?

If the relative humidity is 100 percent, we feel much hotter than the actual temperature indicates because our sweat does not evaporate at all. If the relative humidity is low, we feel cooler than the actual temperature because our sweat evaporates easily; we can also feel extremely dry.

Low humidity has at least three effects on human beings:

1. It dries out your skin and mucous membranes. If your home has low humidity, you will notice things like chapped lips, dry and itchy skin, and a dry sore throat when you wake up in the morning. (Low humidity also dries out plants and furniture.)

2. It increases static electricity, and most people dislike getting sparked every time they touch something metallic.

3. It makes it seem colder than it actually is. In the summer, high humidity makes it seem warmer than it is because sweat cannot evaporate from your body. In the winter, low humidity has the opposite effect. If you take a look at the chart above, you'll see that if it is 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) inside your home and the humidity is 10 percent, it feels like it is 65 degrees F (18 degrees C). Simply by bringing the humidity up to 70 percent, you can make it feel 5 degrees F (3 degrees C) warmer in your home.

Since it costs a lot less to humidify the air than to heat it, a humidifier can save you a lot of money!

For best indoor comfort and health, a relative humidity of about 45 percent is ideal. At temperatures typically found indoors, this humidity level makes the air feel approximately what the temperature indicates, and your skin and lungs do not dry out and become irritated.

The EPA States that "Humidifiers are commonly used in homes to relieve the physical discomforts of dry nose, throat, lips, and skin. The moisture they add to dry air also helps alleviate common nuisances brought on by winter heating, such as static electricity, peeling wallpaper, and cracks in paint and furniture. However, excess moisture can encourage the growth of biological organisms in the home. These organisms include dust mites, which are microscopic animals that produce materials causing allergic reactions to household dust, and molds."

Whole House Humidification can:

Lower your utilities by allowing you to run lower temperatures on your thermostat because with the proper humidity levels you can be more comfortable with less heat

Protect your furniture from drying and cracking, prevent hardwood floors from shrinking up

Improve your overall health and comfort by relieving dry skin, chapped lips, sore throats and much more!