Heating and cooling are a big part of your energy bill, and HVAC ducts are a major source of energy loss through leaks and lack of insulation. As much as 20 percent of your energy loss can be recovered by improving the efficiency of your HVAC unit. Look at your monthly energy bill, and extrapolate 20 percent of that over the next 10 years. Can you afford not to have new ductwork?
If you’re fortunate, your HVAC ductwork may last up to 10 to 15 years before it starts to deteriorate. If your ductwork has never been replaced in the past 10 years, you shouldn’t be surprised if your energy bills start to rise unexpectedly. You may even experience problems in less than 10 years, depending on how reliable your previous installer was.
Poor HVAC ductwork not only reveals itself in your power bill, but also in poor air quality. If your facility’s air has begun to smell stale, the health of people who live and work there may be affected. By restoring your HVAC unit to its original air circulation parameters, you’ll improve health and morale. By delivering more oxygen, new ductwork can improve efficiency by improving your efficiency and the efficiency of those you share your environment with.
Ways to Determine if You Need New Ductwork
Here are simple tests you can make to see if your ductwork is beginning to deteriorate:
- Physically trace the ductwork through crawl spaces, looking for holes, tears, or disconnected joints.
- Feel if the air flow and temperature remains constant throughout the rooms; a variation means you’ve got a leak.
- Contact a mechanical contractor who specializes in HVAC and have your ductwork tested with a duct blower.
These tests will identify leaks, but what about energy losses through poor insulation? If your HVAC ductwork has developed leaks, then it’s likely the insulation is beginning to degrade as well. Again, a mechanical contractor specializing in HVAC can help you determine if that is the case.
If you believe that you need new ductwork to improve efficiency in your facility’s HVAC unit or need someone qualified to check it out, try O.C. McDonald. Specializing in HVAC, we have been a trusted mechanical contractor located in San Jose and serving Silicon Valley for over a century. Contact us today (408) 295-2182