Locating ducts within the conditioned spaces of your home

The typical home in Rockwall Texas has the air distribution ducts located in unconditioned areas such as attics, crawlspaces, garages and basements. Residential duct systems located in these areas can lose between 20 and 35% of the energy in the air they distribute. Those losses can almost entirely be eliminated by simply locating the ducts within the conditioned areas inside the building thermal envelope.

Attic temperature will mimic the outside air temperatures during the winter or heating season and can easily rise to 50 degrees above outside air temperatures during the summer or cooling seasons. The conditioned air is protected by minimally insulated ducts, typically R-6 to R-8, and will allow the conditioned air to lose energy. That is energy that you are paying for each and every month with your high gas and electric bills. Moving the ducts down into the building thermal envelope and used a drop ceiling in hallways can totally eliminate that energy loose.

Increasing the duct insulation can help achieve more energy efficiency, but sizable increases can also be achieved by tightening the duct connections to plenums, registers and junction boxes. Sealing these duct connection with a special mastic can reduce leakage and generate significant energy savings. This is a great Do It Yourself project that most homeowners can do during the cooler months of Winter, Spring and Fall. The job can be done during the Summer months, but the high attic temperatures reduce the working time of the mastic and workers.

For more information about energy inspections in Rockwall and Dallas Texas, check out our website at www.DallasEnergyInspection.com

Jim Hemsell

A Closer Look Home Inspection Servcie

Dallas Energy Audits