2017 has come and gone; now it’s time. You know what I’m talking about… Resolutions. This is the year that we tell ourselves we are truly going to stick to our guns and fulfill those resolutions. We say it each and every year. Some succeed while others, like myself, get pulled down a deep dark path and I just can’t help myself. I’m talking about the big resolution of dieting. Don’t quote me or mind my math but I think it’s a resolution that 125% of us make.
So lets rattle em’ off:
- Lose Weight
- Eat healthier
- Be a better parent
- Be a better spouse/significant other
- Make more money
- Make time for me/vacation (I’m still trying to get to the South Pacific)
- Quit smoking
- Quit drinking/ drink less
- Spend more time with family and friends
There are plenty more to include but no sense in going further. Do any of you notice a trend? Just take a minute and look it over…
If you guessed something like, “Things that are rarely followed through on” well, you could be right but what I was looking for is “None of them are defined”. What I’m saying is, what does “lose weight” really mean??? I could stop eating today and the scale may shift tomorrow. That’s not right. We need to define these resolutions and the easiest way involves 3 steps which some of you may know:
- Actionable: Define the goal, what are you wanting to accomplish
- Measurable: You need to be able to track results in a quantitative manner
- Timely: Set a realistic timeline to accomplish the goal. Don’t make it too easy and don’t make it impossible
Ya see, most of us, again me included, stop at the action item and set ourselves up to not succeed. Set up this outline for your resolutions and watch the results, this is your year!
Let’s make a new resolution
Lastly, can you name a resolution that I never hear or even thought of before this career? I don’t expect this to be an easy answer. I’m talking about IAQ. How many of us, especially homeowners with children, have said to themselves, “This is the year that I rid my house of all (or most) of the pollutants that cause me and my family uncomfortable living conditions.”? I don’t imagine too many have because it’s not something that we often think about.
But now that you have read this and you do know, let’s consider this:
Average homes have 10-30% leakage throughout their duct system!!! That’s insane.
On one hand, your supply is now feeding air into the wall cavities, attic, crawl space, and overall… into the places that don’t benefit you. Going further, you now need to run your system longer to adequately heat or cool the space to make up for this and that means extra $$$ coming out of your pocket.
On the other hand, your supply is also leaky and you guessed it. You aren’t just pulling in air from the rooms as it was intended. Oh no. You are pulling air from out of those leaks (The wall cavities, attic and crawlspace). Do you even know what is there? Dust, Insulation fibers, Dirt, Mold/mildew in some cases, pollen and other allergens, etc. Sure this is a pain for those who are already suffering from allergies or asthma but the scary part is that we may have had control in stopping this. Just like frequent smoking has been linked to lung cancer, frequent exposure to these pollutants has been shown to have an effect on chronic illnesses. Why would you put yourself, others or your children through that?
Sure there are energy savings that come with a tighter duct system but I will take comfort any day. Lucky for you and I, tighter ducts provide both benefits. Some people get their duct cleans but that doesn’t fix the leaks; this is a common cry for help. Consider one of this year’s resolutions to be tightening up your duct system or getting your system checked for leakage. You will breathe easier.