Duct Leakage

Losing hard earned money through Duct Leakage
Heating and Cooling Air is expensive!!!

Sam Rashkin, chief architect of the Building Technologies Office in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, pointed out that the HVAC system in the majority of older residences is the biggest single energy consumer in the home, accounting for as much as half of a home’s total energy usage. That, coupled with the fact that the average home’s ductwork leaks like a sieve, is a recipe for major energy loss, he said.

“It’s a big deal when the ducts leak. Basic research from DOE uncovered that about 30-40 percent of the air traveling through ducts leaks,” Rashkin said. “If they’re pulling air from a dirty crawlspace, that’s going to affect the IAQ. It introduces dust and bugs. It’s not just energy — it’s comfort and durability.”

The problem, Rashkin said, is that when homes were constructed in the past, very little attention was paid to the ductwork. And while it has gotten slightly better in the past decade or so, especially with building codes in some states requiring duct leakage testing and very low leakage rates in new homes, most states have yet to adopt such strict codes.