Are Your Air Conditioning Ducts Costing You Money?

As a Florida homeowner, you know how much you rely on your A/C unit and heat pump. You need them to keep you comfortable all year long, even in extreme heat or cold. But, is your forced-air system working too hard for your comfort? One way to tell is to inspect your ductwork. Leaky air ducts could be causing a lot of issues in your home, and worse yet, they could be costing you money. Ductwork that’s improperly sealed or torn allows about 20% of the air going through it to escape. As a result, your system has to work harder and use more fuel to keep you comfortable. Which leads to- you guessed it- higher energy bills. It also shortens the life span of your heating and cooling equipment.

There are several clues that indicate improperly sealed ducts:

■Energy bills that seem too high

■Areas that are hard to heat or cool

■Stuffy or dusty rooms

■Tangled or kinked ducts

■Uninsulated ducts in the garage or attic


Do any of these issues sound familiar? If so, you need to check your ducts and make sure they’re performing well. We do a lot of ductwork inspection and repair, and we know how important it is that they’re in good shape. So, make sure maintenance includes the following steps:

1. Do a thorough inspection of all ducts. Don’t forget ductwork in the attic and garage.

2. Use mastic, metal tape or an approved sealant to seal up any leaks or poor connections. Duct tape is not recommended as it’s not durable for this application.
3. Seal ductwork to all registers and air returns.

4. Insulate around ducts in the garage and attic with R-6 insulation.

Keeping your home comfortable requires ducts that are clean, free from obstructions and sealed properly. Taking these steps will improve your home’s energy efficiency, keep indoor air clean and save you up to 20% off your energy bill. It doesn’t take much time or effort to keep your ducts in good working order and the payoff could be big, so do yourself and your system a favor– keep your ducts happy with regular inspections.


Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).For more information about Indoor Air Quality and other HVAC topics,click here to visit our website