Think that fancy new geothermal hot water tank installation that finished up last week will help drop your energy bills? Or that brand-spanking-new, top-of-the-line, latest-model heater in the basement? Well, what if I told you [cue ambient Matrix music] that none of that actually matters when it comes to efficient home heating?
That’s right. A high-quality heater will produce high-quality heat, but that has nothing to do with how efficiently that heat is distributed around your home. For that, we have to act like an alien in a Sigourney Weaver movie, and go into the ventillation system.
If your heating and cooling equipment are located in your basement, then the first step in examining the efficiency process is your ductwork. The blower from your heater sends the heated air into the rooms of your house via a system of ducts (those big, grey, boxy pipes). But the ducts you see on your basement ceiling are only the first links in the chain — the rest of the ductwork is hidden, traveling through the walls, floors, and ceilings of the other rooms of your house.
So first and foremost, the ducts you can see need to be sealed tight. Ever wondered why that grey stuff is called “duct tape”? Now you know. If you sense any air escaping the ducts at any point (usually at the joints and seals), you can, for perhaps the first time in your life, use duct tape for its actual, intended purpose.
But what about the ducts you can’t see?
If you have a roll of duct tape (or twelve) sitting around your house, you’re probably a DIY sort of person to begin with, but even the handiest of handymen need a little professional help now and then (leave your psychiatry jokes in the comments section, ladies). For truly efficient home heating, you need to make sure all your ducts are sealed tight, and for that, you may have to bite the bullet and schedule an HVAC inspection from one or more reliable heating and cooling companies. They have the tools and experience to accurately gauge where you might be bleeding heat, which will save you time, energy, and probably a heap of money. Find out more here.