So I know it was only 2 weeks ago that we covered the Aeroseal technology but this is too good not to blog about. While Aeroseal is not a brand new technology, it continues to gain awareness and is quickly working its way into the conversation of “a household name”. Holmes and Holmes, the famous Father/Son duo from HGTV and DIY network who showcase home renovations alongside new product innovations to get the job done, recently used the Aeroseal product in an episode that will air this Fall. HVAC is not just limited to new systems, it should be a whole home approach to enhancing the comfort of your home and that is exactly what Aeroseal brings to the table. This truly is game changing technology! Check out the story here.
To recap the benefits of Duct Sealing in general (Aeroseal just happens to get them tighter and with guranteed results):
- Save money on utility bills. Everyone wants to save money wherever they can especially when they have the ability to do so. Nationally, the average duct leakage in a home is 20-30%. Thats the equivelant of saying .20-.30 cents out of every dollar you spend on the energy to heat or cool your home is wasted. Reducing this leakage will most certainly save you on your monthly bills.
- Enhance IAQ (Indoor Air Quality). While this doesn’t have an immediate impact on your wallet or a defined dollar value, exposing your family or yourself to pollutants and allergens will increase the odds of developing a chronic illness and will negatively impact anyone who already has allergies or respiratory issues which in turn leads to additional medical bills. The more leakage you have, the more opportunity for airborne contaminants to make it into living spaces where you will eventually breathe them in; dirt, dust, mildew, insulation fibers, pollen, allergens, humidity, etc.
- Equipment performs as it was intended. SEER ratings are very similar to MPG ratings on a vehicle… results may vary. This is because manufactures test equipment under perfect circumstances to get the best results which is unlikely to be the case for your circumstances. For instance, EPA MPG is calculated on a dyno under very controlled simulations. Same goes for SEER rating, the testing is conducted on duct work that has 0% leakage, or virtually no leakage, and thats not a true representation of your home. Therefore, you will never get that 16 SEER unit to perform as efficiently as it should with all the leakage in your home.
- Increase equipment life. A new air conditioner or furnace is not cheap. Duct leakage increases the workload on your system since it is now running extra to compensate for the leakage and reach the set thermostat temperature.
- Remove hot and cold spots from your home. Hot and cold spots in your home are times found in the rooms furthest away from the central air system. This is because those rooms will have the longest amount of duct work and the leakage along the way will compound to the point that air flow decreases from what it should be. For visual, take a hose with a spray nozzle on the end, the same length as your duct work and put holes in it along the way that add up to roughly 30 percent leakage… then pull the trigger on that nozzle and see what happens. Now compare that to a hose with an identical setup but with no leakage and see the difference in pressure. Additionally, temperature difference created by duct leakage will often times lead to even higher utility bills. What I mean is, if you were to set your thermostat to 75 and live with it, then you are losing .20-.30 cents on every dollar based on the national average for duct leakage alone. The problem is, many people try to fix these hot and cold rooms by adjusting the thermostat and just 1 degree can add 1-3 percent onto your utility bill. That means higher utility bills then you would otherwise need and more wear on the system all due to duct leakage.
If you missed it, you can view the more detailed Aeroseal benefits here: https://comfortinstitute.org/blog/friday-feed/get-it-right-get-it-tight-duct-sealing-with-a-purpose/
The Aeroseal website has a quick and easy dealer locator to help you find a local contractor: https://aeroseal.com/residential/find-a-dealer/
Whichever duct sealing option you take, Aeroseal or traditional methods such as mastic and duct tape, know your options. The energy savings from duct sealing is nice but, personally, the health impact of leaky duct work is what is most important to me. You only get one chance at life and I would much rather live it free of all that poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) that brings the risk of developing long term health issues. Especially when I think about all the other unnecessary things I spend money on for no other reason than to feel good for just an instance, you or I could easily save up the money for any type of duct sealing that will not only improve our quality of life but also our families.