Home Performance Audit
Duct Sealing your homeKeep air with in the furnace ducts from leaking out of your house
In houses with forced-air heating and cooling systems, ducts are used to distribute conditioned air throughout the house. In a typical house, however, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts. The result is higher utility bills and difficulty keeping the house comfortable, no matter how the thermostat is set.
How do you know that your home has poorly performing ducts?
- You have high summer and winter utility bills;
- You have rooms that are difficult to heat and cool;
- You have stuffy rooms that never seem to feel comfortable;
- Your ducts are located in an attic, crawlspace, or the garage;
- You find tangled or kinked flexible ducts in your system.
Benefits of Duct Sealing
A duct system that is well-designed and properly sealed can make your home more comfortable, energy efficient, and safer.
Comfort
Sealing and insulating ducts can help with common comfort problems, such as rooms that are too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.
Indoor Air Quality
Fumes from household and garden chemicals, insulation particles, and dust can enter your duct system, aggravating asthma and allergy problems. Sealing ducts can help improve indoor air quality by reducing the risk of pollutants entering ducts and circulating through your home.
Safety
During normal operation, gas appliances such as water heaters, clothes dryers, and furnaces release combustion gases (like carbon monoxide) through their ventilation systems. Leaky ductwork in your heating and cooling system may cause “backdrafting,” where these gases are drawn back into the living space, rather than expelled to the outdoors. Sealing leaks can minimize this risk.
Save Money
Leaky ducts can reduce heating and cooling system efficiency by as much as 20 percent. Sealing and insulating ducts increases efficiency, lowers your energy bills, and can often pay for itself in energy savings. Plus, if you’re planning to install new heating and cooling equipment, a well-designed and sealed duct system may allow you to downsize to a smaller, less costly heating and cooling system that will provide better dehumidification.
Protect the Environment
Energy used in our homes often comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, which contributes to smog, acid rain, and global warming. Simply put, the less energy we use in our homes, the less air pollution we generate. By sealing your ducts and reducing the amount of energy necessary to comfortably heat or cool your home, you can reduce the amount of air pollution generated.
Sealing Duct Leaks
(615KB)
In houses with forced-air heating and cooling systems, ducts are used to distribute conditioned air throughout the house. In a typical house, however, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks and poorly sealed connections. The result is higher utility bills and difficulty keeping the house comfortable, no matter how the thermostat is set.
Because some ducts are concealed in walls and between floors, repairing them can be difficult. However, exposed ducts in attics, basements, crawlspaces, and garages can be repaired by sealing the leaks with duct sealant (also called duct mastic). In addition, insulating ducts that run through spaces that get hot in summer or cold in winter (like attics, garages, or crawlspaces) can save significant energy.
Additionally, if you are replacing your forced-air heating and cooling equipment, make sure your contractor installs the new system according to ENERGY STAR quality installation guidelines. A quality installation will include a thorough inspection of your duct system, including proper sealing and balancing of ductwork, to help ensure that your new system delivers the most comfort and efficiency.
Abacus Energy Solutions will use special diagnostic tools to pinpoint and seal the hidden air leaks in your home.
Learn More
- View Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about Home Sealing
- View ENERGY STAR Insulation Manufacturer Partners
- About ENERGY STAR qualified windows designed for your climate
Energy Trust Air Sealing IncentivesIncentives are only available for work performed by a licensed contractor such as one of those listed on this site.
To be eligible for cash incentives, Abacus Energy Solutions or another Oregon Department of Energy-certified or a Performance Testing Comfort Systems-certified contractor must perform duct testing and sealing. Your contractor must also provide an Oregon Department of Energy or a PTCS Duct Sealing Certificate & NW Duct Sealing Form with pre- and post-CFM50 numbers.
Duct testing: $35 per duct system tested
A specially trained contractor conducts a duct leakage test in your home to determine the amount of air leaking from your ducts (measured in cubic feet of air leakage per minute or CFM50).
Duct sealing:
Electric-heated homes: 50 percent of cost, up to $400; minimum 150 CFM50 reduction and a minimum of 50 percent reduction in duct leakage
Gas-heated homes: 50 percent of cost, up to $325; minimum 150 CFM50 reduction and a minimum of 50 percent reduction in duct leakage
If your ducts need sealing, the contractor seals the leaks and conducts a second duct leakage test to determine the CFM50 reduction.
Save even more in your electric- or gas-heated home with the Heat Pump Premium Installation Package.
Tax Credits
Oregon Residential Energy Tax Credit: up to $250
Tax credit is 25 percent of eligible job costs up to $250. Duct testing and sealing must meet Oregon tax credit criteria (see Oregon Department of Energy or your accountant for complete details).