Struggling to keep every part of your home warm this winter? Discover how a newer home technology is helping furnaces to regain their energy-efficiency.
Winter’s coming, and with it the promise of more “polar vortex” cold streaks. If parts of your home are unusually cold, there are solutions available.
Joseph St. Pierre, sales director at Aeroseal Solutions in Crystal Lake, says his company can help the heating system of a home to function more efficiently by sealing off gaps in the air ducts.
Gaps in ductwork not only waste heated air, but prevent it from fully reaching certain rooms in your home. St. Pierre says that research by the Department of Energy (DOE) shows 25 to 40 percent of furnace air doesn’t make it into all rooms of a house or building, due to duct leaks. Thus, your furnace and air conditioner work harder and consume more energy, raising your energy costs as much as 30 to 40 percent, says St. Pierre.
Aeroseal’s unique technology is especially handy during the winter months, when homeowners tend to “close up that one room that never seems to get enough heat,” says St. Pierre.
“People close it up because it’s too cold and they forget about it,” he says. “I can give you that room back. Let this technology give you that room back.”
The Aeroseal product seals off gaps that are as large as five-eighths of an inch in diameter.
How? The sealant is made of a water-based vinyl polymer with a consistency similar to that of chewing gum.
Aeroseal’s team examines ducts in a home, identifies where leaks are, cleans out the system and plugs up the vents. A pressurized machine system then sends the sealant through the ducts. The technology was created in the mid-1990s by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California.
“The technology will actually clot air particles and seal up holes, without leaving coating or lining inside the ductwork,” St. Pierre says. “The sealant only gathers where there are gaps in the ductwork.”
The procedure is monitored by a computerized system connected to tubes placed inside the ducts.
“We can monitor everything live on the computer screen,” St. Pierre says. “I can tell you exactly what’s happening, when it’s happening.”
At the end of the visit, Aeroseal provides a detailed report with all of the data collected during its visit. Aeroseal’s work is guaranteed for 10 years. According to the DOE, treatment could save homeowners between $300 and $500 a year on utility costs. The technology won an Energy 100 award from the DOE for its energy-saving abilities.
Sealing those air ducts may offer additional advantages for your home. According to St. Pierre, the Environmental Protection Agency says 90 percent of dust circulating in a home is comprised of insulation particles, meaning you and your family may be breathing tiny pieces of fiberglass.
“Ductwork in homes is often kept out of mind since it is out of sight, and people assume all is well and in good working order,” says St. Pierre.
The company services a wide range of locales throughout Northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
“We’ve done projects up in Madison, in Gary and as far north as Green Bay,” St. Pierre says. “We’re all over the place.”
In addition to providing heating, ventilation and air conditioning solutions, Aeroseal Solutions also offers dryer vent cleaning.
For more information, call (888) 214-1123 or visit aerosealsolutions.com.