Heating and cooling an average home usually costs about
50% of your energy bill.
Water heater = 22%
Fridge = 15%
Lights = 13%
The average duct system can lose 10 to 40% through gaps in duct joints and thermal loss through the metal sides of the duct itself.
So insulate those ducts!
You will notice a difference in comfort, and in your bill.
(whether you cut a check to the gas/electric co. or your wood supplier)
You want the heat (and in summer - the A/C) to get where it is supposed to go.
You don't want any of it to "leak" out along the way.
If you had a water pipe that leaked, even only a little, you would fix it, right?
Insulating ductwork is an
inexpensive and easy project to do, so go for it.
While we are on the subject:
In the
average home...
35% of heat is lost through the gaps around doors and windows.
18% directly through the doors and windows themselves!
(a door or window cannot hold in the heat as well as an insulated wall)
17% through the floor into the unheated basement or crawlspace.
13% through poorly insulated walls.
10% through the ceiling into the attic.
That leaves only 8% to keep you warm!
(Family Handyman magazine - October, 2001, pg.34)
(
www.familyhandyman.com)