In hot summers in the Peachtree City area, your cooling system works hard to keep you comfortable. But is it working harder than necessary to distribute cooled air to all the rooms in your home or office?

If you have air leaks in your ducts, you’re spending extra money on energy bills because some of your cooled air is seeping out through these leaks. This causes your system to work harder to keep your entire structure at your desired temperature. Sometimes, even a hard-working air conditioner still can’t counteract the effects of leaky ducts. If you have a room that never seems to get cool enough in the summer and is always a little chillier than the rest in the winter, leaky ducts could be to blame.

You can cut energy costs by sealing leaky ductwork. The federal Energy Star program says the average home loses 20 percent of conditioned air to leakage in ductwork. Therefore, sealing ducts can take a big bite out of high energy bills.

When you inspect your ducts for air leaks, pay close attention to spots where ducts connect, such as floors, walls and ceilings. Look for damage to the ductwork and for ducts that have become disconnected.

Leaks should be sealed with mastic-type sealant and metal tape. Many people opt to have ducts sealed by a certified HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) contractor who can do a more extensive evaluation and provide professional duct sealing, as well as insulate ducts that pass through areas of your home or office that aren’t cooled or heated. Your contractor also should conduct a combustion test after sealing your ducts, to ensure that there is no backdrafting of oil-burning and gas appliances.

Duct sealing does more than just cut energy costs:

• Your indoor environment will be more comfortable, with air being properly directed toward your living spaces.
• Your air will be cleaner because contaminants can’t sneak into your ducts.
• You’ll be conserving energy, which is good environmental stewardship.
• You’ll have peace of mind in knowing your HVAC system is efficient and safe.

For more on how to cut energy costs, please feel free to contact us at Powers Heating & Air. We proudly serve residential and commercial customers in the Peachtree City area, and can help you with all of your heating and cooling needs.

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

Powers Heating & Air serves Peachtree, GA and the surrounding areas.  Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!