Bob Jenson Air Conditioning and Heating

More and more we as consumers are concerned about wasting our money. We've learned to be more careful in the investments we make these days because our resources are limited. When it comes to energy usage we recognize that our home comfort systems can be a large part of our bills each year, so reducing the cost of heating and cooling has become a priority for many of us. Sometimes though we focus on these great 95% efficient furnaces or 18 SEER A/C units and forget about the critical "delivery system" of these pieces of comfortable technology. In California the average home can leak 30% of it's air from poorly installed or older ducting systems. That means that your ducting system could be running at 60-70% efficient at best, Ouch! Couple that with the lack of insulation protecting most ducts from transferring their precious cargo of cold air right into the hot attic and you are writing a bigger check than you should to your utility provider. 

Today many contractors will install newer ducts at the same time the heating and cooling system is installed. Will you ever get up into your attic or under your house to check every bit of their work? I probably won't either, but how do I know my ducting is working at full efficiency? Sure the system is quiet and cools the home nicely but that's as much info as you'll get unless you have your ducts tested for efficiency. Even newly installed ducts could be only 80-90% efficient because of small leaks, is that good enough? With duct testing and sealing you can easily achieve up to 94-98% efficient ducting systems. So while purchasing an efficient home comfort system is a good investment, don't forget about this important piece of the puzzle and ask the contractor you choose to test your new ducts and know exactly how efficient they are. 

Feel free to ask us about our testing methods and take control of your energy savings in 2010!