Poor Design
Attics are the extreme opposite temperature of the air that ducts are trying to move to the home. Ducts are very poorly insulated with fiberglass insulation with the latest offering of only R-8.
Summer Issues
During summer months, Texas attics can reach between 125°F- 140°F. Demand on AC systems are severely increased. They have to run longer to make homes comfortable, which also cost more money! Ducts should be carrying nice cool 55° air to distribute to your home. Many times, ducts are placed in the attic and strapped next to the underside of the roof deck- the HOTTEST part of a home in summer. How do you expect 55° air to maintain temperature running through the ducts? Well, it doesn’t! Running cold air through an oven before distributing to the home is not energy efficient and cost you money.
Winter Issues
In winter, cold attics cool ducts and the air in them. In reverse of the summer months, the duct lines in winter are now re-chilling lines. Instead of 120°F air in the ducts, it may now only be 90°F- making homes more uncomfortable and more expensive to heat.
Duct Leakage
As you can imagine, ducts in our homes are very important. Ducts that are poorly sealed and insulated do not do us any favors reducing our energy bills. Ducts that have gaps, holes, or are torn leak air into the attic when the air handler is off. When turned on, the air is now a powered air leak! Air leaked into a vented attic is lost to the outside of the home from ventilation. Heating and cooling the home now becomes even more costly.
Fix The Problem
Air sealing stops leaks and keeps air inside the ducts where it belongs! First Defense Insulation Duct Encapsulation Services adds superior R-value protection to ducts keeping the adverse attic temperature from penetrating the air inside. The best solution is placing insulation at the roof deck to get the ductwork inside the homes thermal boundary.
