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Ducts
HIGH UTILITY BILLS? STUFFY ROOMS? DUSTY HOUSE? IT COULD BE YOUR DUCTS.
A duct system that is well-designed and properly sealed can make your home more comfortable, more energy efficient, and safer. Here are some reasons why duct improvements are a wise investment:
Comfort
Sealing and insulating ducts can help with common comfort problems, such as rooms that are too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.
Health
Sealing ducts can help improve indoor air quality by reducing the risks of pollutants entering ducts and circulating through your home. Fumes from household and garden chemicals, insulation particles, and dust can enter your duct system through leaks and can aggravate existing asthma and allergy problems.
Safety
During normal operation, gas appliances such as water heaters, clothes dryers, and furnaces release combustion gases, like carbon monoxide, through their ventilation systems. Leaking ductwork in your heating and cooling system may cause "backdrafting," where these gases are drawn into the living space, rather than expelled to the outdoors. Sealing leaks can minimize this risk.
Save Money
Leaky ducts can reduce heating and cooling system efficiency by as much as 20 percent. Duct sealing and insulating increases efficiency, lowers your energy bills, and can often pay for itself in energy savings. Plus, if you're planning to install new heating and cooling equipment, know that a well designed and sealed duct system may allow you to downsize to a smaller, less costly heating and cooling system.
Protect the Environment
Energy generation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases. By sealing your ducts and reducing the amount of energy necessary to comfortably heat or cool your home, you can reduce the amount of air pollution generated.
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