Duct efficiency, when it’s good, contributes to improved home comfort and energy savings. When it's poor, you’ll notice a drop in comfort and savings. Therefore, it’s critical to regularly evaluate the efficiency of your ducts, and your efforts should also consider duct sealing.

Ducts are notorious for losing energy through leaks. It’s natural for duct connections between pipes to loosen with time, or they might not have been all that tight to begin with due to poor installation. Sealing ducts is a relatively simple job. All you need is either metal-backed tape, a material that will create a strong bond between the ducts itself and the tape, or mastic, a putty-like substance you can spread over connections.

When you improve ducts by sealing them, you reap several benefits:

• Improved home comfort: Efficient ducts allow for even, comfortable home heating, distributed to every corner of your home.
• Increased energy savings: Experts estimate that a well-sealed duct system can boost efficiency of a heating system by up to 20 percent, so you can not only expect improved energy savings to pay for sealing projects, but to extend to future energy bills.
• Better indoor air quality: When ducts leak, they can draw polluted air into their pipes, which is then delivered into your living spaces.
• Decreased impact on the environment: When your home's ducts are sealed, your heating system will operate more efficiently and use less energy, so your home will have less of an impact on the environment.

There are scenarios where improving duct insulation can be helpful as well. If your home's basement isn't heated, for instance, improving the insulation in the ductwork located in that space will decrease energy losses. When insulating, use blankets or batts, which allows you to customize the fit. Alternatively, you can purchase insulation specifically designed for use with ducts. Secure the insulation with the appropriate tape.

For help with increasing your home's duct efficiency, contact the home efficiency experts at Custom Comfort ClimateCare. Serving Barrie and Simcoe Counties since 1988.