Visualizing the walls of your house as a huge storage space for a maze of connected ducts is a highly effective tool for accomplishing consistent energy efficiency. Just as no chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link, no overall energy system is more efficient than its most inefficient component.
Your home comfort system comprises about half of the full amount of your total residential energy usage. Thus, it is only logical and quite obvious that maximizing energy efficiency must also begin at the biggest source of waste – HVAC.
Below is a basic overview of the best ways to harmonize all systems in order to optimize overall energy efficiency.
Seal off all air leakage.
Peak energy efficiency cannot possibly exist where inner air constantly seeps outside. As long as warm air can escape during colder weather and enter throughout sizzling summers, your heating/air conditioning equipment must work overtime to compensate in order to maintain programmed interior temperatures.
Take a long stroll through the inside and outside of your house at least once a year to look for potentially air leaks, such as:
– Worn/damaged weather stripping around windows and door casings
– Gaps between windows and/or doors and surrounding framework
– Cracking or gaps between exterior siding and underlying foundation
– Open spaces around holes bored into walls to provide entry points for pipes or wiring
Replace Inefficient Insulation
Insulation is designed to decrease heat entrapped within interior wall spaces. Verify whether existing insulation complies with current Zone 1 and Zone 2 R-value specifications. Start in the attic and work your way down into smaller areas and exterior wall insulation. Attic insulation must be at least one inch below floor joisting and have no holes or gapping areas.
Duct Work
Schedule a professional duct inspection to ensure sufficient insulation, sealing, and absence of any blockage in your duct work.
HVAC Machinery
If your HVAC system was installed more than fifteen years ago or requires excessive repair, seriously consider replacing it. During your search for suitable options, stick only with Energy Star equipment. Such units are easily identifiable by a bright yellow sticker on the side. A large black number printed on its surface reveals the relative energy efficiency of the equipment it is attached to. That number is far more important than the digits displayed on the price tag.
Hobaica Services has been serving Arizona since 1952 and has a stellar reputation for performing above industry standards, providing a worry free experience and enjoying hundreds of referrals every month from customers who have trusted our team for over 60 years.
Contact Hobaica Services today for your Comfort Evaluation @ www.hobaica.com or 602-995-0387
