Your Harrisonburg or Elkton home’s heating and cooling system should be a source of relief when extreme outdoor temperatures threaten to disrupt your indoor home comfort, but for many homeowners in the Shenandoah Valley, reaching for the thermostat can be a source of stress, knowing that the ensuing utility bills could spiral out of control.
What might be surprising to hear is that if the rooms in your home are always too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer, your furnace or air conditioner isn’t necessarily the only potential cause of problems. Did you know that up to 40% of the conditioned air from your HVAC system can be lost in your ductwork, before ever reaching you?
Here’s why, as well as some signs that indicate you could need ductwork evaluation and service.
Common Problems with Your Ductwork
Ductwork problems can develop over years of use in a home, or they can be the result of bad installation practices.
Poor ductwork design, including ductwork that is either too big or too small for your home, or has too many long runs or too many turns, can dramatically reduce the ability of conditioned air to be distributed correctly to every room in your home.
On the other hand, under insulated ducts and ductwork leaks can result in lots of energy loss as your conditioned air makes its way to the rooms in your house.
Signs Your House Needs Ductwork Evaluation
So what are the warning signs that you need an experienced HVAC duct company to really inspect and test your ductwork for problems? If you’re experiencing any of the following, give Excel Heating & Cooling a call:
- Uneven temperatures in your house
- Rising monthly energy bills
- The vents in your house are always dusty or dirty
- Your furnace or AC is “short cycling” (turning off shortly after starting)