Category: Ductwork

Minimizing Energy Loss in the Ductwork of Your New or Older Home

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Your ductwork is the network of large metal pipes that carries heated or cooled air from your furnace or central air conditioner to points throughout your house. Because all of the conditioned air in your home travels through the ductwork, there is an increased chance of energy loss within the system. Whether your home is older or has been newly built, there are effective ways to minimize energy loss in the ductwork.

Design

Your duct system must be designed to fit within the space available. It must also be able to supply sufficient amounts of conditioned air to all parts of your home. “Radial” and “trunk and branch” designs are among the most common. Too many “Y” branches or damaged ducts can cause poor performance. Design factors are easier to address during new construction, but even in older homes, ductwork can be rearranged for better efficiency.

Sealing

The entire ductwork system must be thoroughly sealed to prevent air leaks and energy loss. Ductwork sections should fit tightly together with adjoining sections, particularly at elbows and joints. Seal all connections with mastic, a specialized sealant for use on ducts. Taping does not last and is no longer an approved method.

Insulating

Ducts should be well insulated since energy can be lost through the relatively thin metal of the ductwork itself. Affix rigid fiber board insulation to external surfaces of the ductwork to prevent this energy loss.

Sizing

Ducts must be correctly sized to be effective and prevent energy loss. They must be big enough to carry and distribute enough heated or cooled air to the farthest points of the duct network. If your ducts are too small, they will restrict airflow within the system.

Placement

Place ducts in conditioned and insulated areas of the home where possible. Running ductwork through garages, crawl spaces, or unfinished basements or attics increases the possibility of energy loss.

For 40 years, Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical has been providing professional heating and air conditioning services to customers in Charlotte and surrounding areas. Contact us today for more information ductwork sealing, insulation and design, and for additional information on reducing energy loss throughout the system.

The Energy Star Yardstick: Pull It Out to See How Your Home Measures Up

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Energy Star is a government-sponsored website that helps homeowners reduce energy consumption. It features the Home Energy Yardstick, a program designed to compare your home to similar homes in your area in terms of energy efficiency, and then offer tailored suggestions to bring energy consumption down.

Here’s how it works:

On the homepage, you will need to enter information about your home, including its square footage, annual energy use, and fuel sources, along with your zip code and number of home occupants.

Once you enter that information, the program will formulate your score, and you can set a goal to reduce energy use by a specific percentage. In order to find out just how you can improve results, you’ll need to input the type of home systems (furnace, heat pump, central A/C, etc.) you use for the program to fine-tune the results.

Suggestions for improvement will include low-cost ideas, and projects that require a more significant investment, including:

  • Sealing air leaks and ductwork. These two factors can decrease the efficiency of a home by up to 30 percent, because leaks in the home’s exterior and the ducts allow conditioned air to escape through them.
  • Upgrading insulation throughout the home. The attic is usually a good location to begin with, as homes tend to lose the most energy through this space. Insulation is designed to prevent the movement of heat, so upgrading your home’s insulation to maximum efficiency levels will keep conditioned air inside your house.
  • Using a programmable thermostat. This allows you to program regular temperature setbacks to help avoid wasting energy by unnecessarily heating and cooling spaces when they are not in use.
  • Installing Energy Star-qualified HVAC systems. Though a larger investment initially, it’s an investment that will maximize energy savings and comfort over the long term.

The Energy Star Yardstick program includes detailed information and guides to go about upgrading your home’s efficiency. You can solicit the help of an HVAC professional to confirm the program’s results, or to conduct an independent energy evaluation of your home.
In the Greater Charlotte area, contact the area’s leading HVAC contractor, Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical – a local family-owned company since 1972.

Heating Efficiency: Four Ways to Help Your Furnace and Ductwork Do Their Job

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

If solutions existed that could maximize your heating efficiency, wouldn’t you want to know about them? Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical mission is to help homeowners stay comfortable and save money, and we don’t “hide” industry secrets from homeowners — we help them. With that in mind, here are four of our best tips to help you optimize the efficiency of your heating system for the ultimate in energy savings.

The ductwork in your home is prone to losing energy. Because it is comprised of a series of connected pipes, these connections can and will loosen over time. In fact, ductwork can lose up to 30 percent of conditioned air that travels through it, and is known as one of the most common contributors to energy losses, so taking action here can translate into significant savings.

The ducts in most homes should have dampers that you can manually adjust. Optimizing the position of the dampers will allow more or less air into your home. If you have rooms that are overly hot or cold, you can avoid energy losses by adjusting the dampers to provide precise amounts of heated air into each space.

The state of your return grilles is just as important as supply ducts. In fact, they are critical to creating an exact amount of return airflow back into the furnace to keep it running efficiently. In general, homes tend to have insufficient returns, so have a professional assess your home’s returns and make necessary adjustments.

Once your ducts are sealed, dampers adjusted, and cold-air returns upgraded, it’s time to work some magic with the thermostat. Setting the temperature low enough while maintaining comfort is a delicate balance, but you can expect, as a rule of thumb, a savings of one percent on energy bills if you turn down the thermostat by just one degree. Higher setbacks, obviously, get higher savings.

Level the playing field for heating efficiency by sealing ducts, using dampers, ensuring airflow return. Then, let your thermostat do the work! In the Greater Charlotte area, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical for help with all of your home needs.

A Comprehensive Plan to Clean Up Your Indoor Air

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Maintaining your home’s indoor air quality is critical for good health and contributes to your family’s overall comfort. Most people don’t consider their indoor air quality until something happens to remind them they need to be actively maintaining a healthy environment. Maintaining clean, healthy air in your home isn’t difficult or expensive. It simply requires knowing what to look for and what to do. By implementing a few of the steps listed here, you and your family can breathe easier.

Here are ten of the most commonly recommended ways to improve your home’s indoor air quality:

  1. If you have a water heater or furnace that is fueled by fossil fuels, make sure they are power vented or combustion is sealed outside your living space.
  2. Kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms should always be vented directly outdoors using an energy-efficient fan.
  3. HVAC systems and ductwork should never be placed in the garage. Since your garage is susceptible to accumulating air contaminants, try to reduce the amount of contaminated air by installing weather stripping around the door.
  4. Enjoy fireplaces and wood stoves responsibly by properly venting them and keeping the doors affixed tightly.
  5. Installing air filters directly on to your home’s HVAC system will reduce the amount of dirt in the air. Change your home’s filters every one to three months for maximum effectiveness.
  6. Clothes dryers and central vacuum units should always be vented outdoors.
  7. Solvents and cleaners should always be stored outside of your living space.
  8. Reduce the amount of indoor combustion sources that cannot be vented, like decorative candles or indoor barbecues. If you smoke, smoke outside or by an open window.
  9. Encourage outdoor airflow in your home with a home ventilation system or fans in the windows.
  10. If you plan on using a solvent or cleanser, make sure to use it only in a well-ventilated space.

Contact us at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical for more information on how you can improve your home’s indoor air quality.

Common Ductwork Problems That Interfere With Airflow

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Since they are out of sight, your home’s vents and ductwork may also be out of mind — until, that is, something is amiss. Maybe one room in your home is always too cold or too hot, or another room seems more humid than the others.

If you’ve installed weatherstripping and caulk, the problems may very well be stemming from your ductwork, in which case it’s time to call a professional to pinpoint the problem, fix it and restore efficiency to your ductwork system.

Those, metal and flexible ducts that snake around your home may look fierce and indestructible, but actually they are rather easy to bend, kink, crack and break. In fact, if you’ve ever accidentally bumped up against one, you know that the “thundering” noise of impact is quickly followed by a ripple of damage. A splintered duct is just one problem that may interfere with airflow in your home. The others include:

  • Supply and return leaks
  • Furnace leaks
  • Disconnected or loose ducts
  • Insulation that has fallen out of place
  • Duct tape failure
  • Leaky duct connections

Before you call us, make sure that you are not unwittingly restricting the airflow in your home; check that furniture, book shelves, toy boxes and other objects are not obstructing registers and returns. In fact, it’s a good idea to identify the registers in your home, and if you can’t find any in one room, chances are good that they are being blocked.

It’s time for your fall/winter HVAC check, we will thoroughly inspect your heating system and ductwork to deliver on what we promise to you and all our customers: year-round comfort. Call Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical to schedule your appointment today.

If Your Ducts Are Leaky, You’re Losing More Than Air

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Over time, your heating system’s ductwork can develop cracks and openings that allow heated air to escape before it even has a chance to reach your living space. These hidden leaks can rob your home of efficiency, costing you a bundle in wasted energy. Fortunately, you can eliminate this problem by making sure your home’s ducts are tightly sealed.

There are number of benefits associated with having properly sealed ducts, including the following:

  • Lower energy costs – Eliminating leaks in your ductwork can dramatically reduce your home’s energy usage, resulting in significant savings on your heating and cooling costs.
  • Improved air quality – Fumes, dust and other pollutants can find their way into ductwork through unsealed cracks and openings, where they can then be distributed throughout your entire living area. Sealing your ducts can stop these contaminants from entering your heating system, thus improving your indoor air quality.
  • A more comfortable home – When your ducts are tightly sealed, heated or cooled air can get to the areas of your home where it most needed, making your entire living area more comfortable and inviting.
  • Improved safety – Leaky ductwork can cause potentially deadly gases like carbon monoxide to backdraft into your home. Sealing your ductwork reduces this risk.
  • A healthier planet – Sealing your ductwork can improve the efficiency of your entire heating system, reducing your overall energy usage. This can help to protect the environment for future generations to enjoy.

The cost of professional duct sealing can quickly be recouped through energy savings, making it a worthwhile investment for most homeowners.

If you live in central North Carolina and would like to learn more about how duct sealing can save you money and improve the efficiency of your home, contact us at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical. Our knowledgeable staff is more than happy to answer your questions and help you find affordable solutions for all your home heating and cooling needs.

Your Autumn To-Do List: Check Ductwork and Vents for 7 Common Problems

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Your ductwork and your vents are just as important as the rest of your HVAC system, and they should be checked every year as part of your autumn to-do list. A number of common problems can make your heating and cooling equipment less efficient, and can cause extensive wear over time.

When putting together your autumn to-do list:

  1. Make sure all ductwork was sealed or vented properly when construction of the home took place.
  2. Ducts should be inspected for leaks that hamper air flow. Check for even the smallest cracks that aren’t immediately visible.
  3. Seal leaks with professional grade material. The number one mistake people make is sealing cracks with duct tape. It dries out very quickly and doesn’t close the leak off for very long.
  4. Clean your ducts every so often to remove particles that could overload the components inside your HVAC system. Indoor air quality is also important, as an excess of irritating particles can cause allergies, asthma and respiratory illness.
  5. Inspect for mold inside the ducts, vents and furnace. When moisture reaches a high point of 60 percent, mold spores can thrive, and over time this can cause your heating and cooling equipment to become less efficient.
  6. Do not block air intake registers from being able to have air flow through them easily.
  7. Do not allow delivery vents to be blocked off by cardboard or other materials.

Contact Acosta Heating and Cooling for more information on checking your ductwork and vents for common issues. We are happy to serve the North Carolina area, and to help you enjoy your home all year long without issues.

Elements of Expert Ductwork Design

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

It is important to not underestimate the importance of your ductwork design when installing a new HVAC system. It will have a huge impact on how comfortable you are in your home each day, as well how energy efficient your home is. Your HVAC system is only as strong as the weakest link and if you neglect the ductwork, you compromise your system’s performance and efficiency.

The first step in determining how your ducts should be laid out begins with figuring out what size air system is ideal for your home. A properly sized unit will provide optimal comfort while also keeping energy costs minimized. A professional HVAC technician can perform heating and cooling energy loads to determine how much energy is needed to provide adequate comfort to your home.

The actual ducts need to be sized as well. If they are too big, your HVAC system won’t efficiently circulate the air and your air will never be properly dehumidified, leaving a sticky, clammy feeling in the air.  If they are too small, not enough conditioned air will be distributed throughout your home, and it will put added stress on your HVAC system to try and move the air.

Once these steps are out of the way, your HVAC technician will begin to draft possible duct layout configurations. This also includes figuring out where the return and supply ducts will be placed throughout your home so that a natural airflow is established. Constructional features that may constrict where ducts can be placed also need to be taken into consideration.

The installation itself is, of course, the most important part. You should partner with a reliable HVAC technician to make sure they properly seal all of the ducts when installing them. This will ensure that they aren’t leaking valuable conditioned air into unnecessary spaces like the attic and crawlspace. Because most of the ducts get concealed in the walls or floors after installation, it is important that the job be done right the first time.

For more advice and help with designing the ideal ductwork design for your home, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical.  We proudly serve the Charlotte area.