A Duct System That is Blocked or Leaks Can Strain Your Home HVAC System

Although it seems as if the price of nearly everything is rising, including heating and cooling costs, you may be paying more than you need to in terms of your monthly energy bills — especially if your duct system is faulty.

You see, even if your furnace and air conditioner were brand new (or you just had slightly older ones serviced), an inefficient duct system — one of the more commonly overlooked areas by homeowners — affects your system’s performance and increases energy costs. In fact, poorly maintained and/or improperly designed ducts can cause homeowners to pay as much as 20 percent more to heat and cool their homes.

To maximize HVAC system efficiency, it pays to have an HVAC professional inspect your home’s ductwork. Here are four signs that your duct system may need an overhaul:

Leaky ducts: Where possible, hold your hand over duct connections; if you can feel or hear air escaping, you’ve got leaky ducts. And that means that conditioned air traveling through them escapes to places like the basement — where you don’t need it — instead of to your living spaces — where you do need it.
The room that never feels right: Do you have a room that is always too hot or too cold, especially when the rest of the house feels great? If so, your duct system could have been poorly designed, or you may have a significant problem with leaks or damaged ducts.
“I’m no pro but this looks wrong…”: Have you noticed that you have exposed ducts in places that see extreme temperature fluctuations such as the attic, basement or crawl space? Uninsulated ducts in these locations are incredibly inefficient and can cost you dearly.
The duct that goes nowhere: Do you have ducts that simply dead-end in odd places, almost as if the installers changed their minds during installation? If so, it’s probably time for a retrofit.

If you see any of the above signs of duct system problems, or simply feel that your energy bills are higher than they should be, call T.F. O’Brien Cooling and Heating and let our experts show you how you can both save money and be more comfortable. Since 1934, we’ve been providing Long Island with reliable HVAC services.

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

Image via Shutterstock.com