If you live in the United States, it’s likely that you live in a home (or other such place of residence) that incorporated ducted heating and cooling systems in some way. After all, such is the case for as many as 90% of the new homes that have been built – and countless homes that already exist all throughout the country.
Ducted heating and cooling services are hugely important and useful here in the United States, this is certainly just an undeniable fact. After all, so many parts of this country need heating in order to keep people safe during the long winter months. Without the use of heating, this feat becomes a much more difficult thing. The same can be said for air conditioning systems during the summer months as well.
But there is also no doubt that heating and cooling systems can be quite expensive for the typical family, making up nearly half (if not more than half) of the total energy costs for the home. As essential as these services are, paying for them can sometimes prove to be difficult. Fortunately, there are a number of steps that can be taken that, with the help of HVAC companies, can drastically lower heating and cooling costs (and therefore the total energy costs as well) alike.
Regular maintenance, for instance, is absolutely key. Duct cleaning, for ducted systems, should be conducted on a regular basis in order to maintain the overall levels of efficiency that the heating and cooling system is able to operate under. Typically, it is recommended that duct cleaning occurs at least once every five years, but some systems might be in need of even more frequent duct cleaning, depending on any number of factors. Though the time frame might vary from case to case, the importance of duct cleaning and it’s effect of the efficiency of the heating and cooling systems (and the energy that they ultimately use, as duct cleaning can improve efficiency and lower energy usage) is a highly important thing, not to be discounted or forgotten about.
In addition to this, duct cleaning (on a regular basis) can help to keep the air quality of any given space in good shape as well. Without duct cleaning, unfortunately, the air quality of any given home is likely to drop in quite a considerable way. This is due to the fact that in the absence of duct cleaning, contaminants and other such particles are likely to build up in the air vents, which can lead to the spread of this air all throughout the home. Common contaminants include pet dander (in homes where pets are present, of course), dust, and various types of chemicals, such as those used for cleaning.
And with the lowering of the indoor air quality, this polluted indoor air can even lead to the worsening of asthma and allergies in those who suffer from them. In some cases, a lack of duct cleaning and the subsequent polluted air quality can even lead to these conditions forming in the first place. Therefore, duct cleaning is more important than just for saving money – in many ways, duct cleaning on a regular basis is essential for your health as well as the health of your family or any other members of your household.
But, as critical as duct cleaning is, it is not the only way that you can save money and cut down on energy costs in your home. In addition to this, you can also have insulation installed either all throughout your home or even just in your attic space. Insulation might seem like a small change to make, but it is a change (no matter what the size and scope of it) that can have considerable results. As a matter of fact, simply applying insulation to your attic space could end up lowering your total energy costs by as much as 20%, an amount that will certainly continue to grow and grow over the course of time – but one that is hugely beneficial no matter what.
