Winter Proved the point...Summer is coming, Don't leave an ENERGY MESS in your air ducts

An Ounce of Prevention or a Pound of Cure 

 Do you have the Winter Ice Storm “High power bill hangover” ? 

Wait till summer hits again for 5 solid months…

Many of us had the experience of the heat pump freezing up during the recent ice storm and through the long cold winter we had this year in Pensacola; then we tried to heat the house with our emergency back-up heat strips.   If you have central air only,  that’s the way the heat runs all the time.   Now we need to deal with the consequences. ("the dreaded power bill")

It’s easy to blame it on the cold weather but a tight duct system would have kept the furnace from running as much as it did.  

 Yes, it was cold but the more air we can direct into the house & keep from leaking into the attic or crawl space the lower our power bill will be.

 I heard a Gulf Power rep say they set a record for power usage on the local grid during our recent cold snaps.  Imagine if you could somehow save that energy all Summer long?   

The same effect happens in our warm humid climate during the air conditioning season but it lasts a lot longer than just a couple days. It’s all about Gaps, Cracks, & Holes.  Most of the duct systems we Inspect & clean have some sort of leakage that could be tightened up or corrected. 

Here’s our recommendation:

1) Get  a duct  leakage test  If you don’t know how much it leaking, then you’re guessing about the fix;  with a leak test of before & after you’ll know how good the investment is for future comfort  and energy savings.

2) Repair the duct leaks.  It’s best to do this in the cooler weather so the hot job doesn’t kill a work crew (i.e. less labor) and you’ll get a better price asking a company to work in your attic now rather than in June or in July when you get that monster power bill from the summer duct leakage.     

 3) INSULATE your attic. Be sure you have the other work done in the attic before you blow in any insulation; that needs to be the last step.

For More Health, Home Comfort, & Energy Tips go to www.gulfcoastaircare.com     or 

Call us at (850) 934-2768 …and if you need help or expert advice, please ask!