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Aeroseal is featured on an episode of Ask This Old House. The homeowner has a forced air system and also recently installed a new furnace. Hoping for a greater return on investment, their utility bills are still high and they would like more consistant temperatures in the rooms of the house. Experts look at the sealed duct work and work to fix leaks that will increase efficiency. Originally aired during the week of March 20th, 2014 on PBS.

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Welcome to On the Job Episode #73! In this episode, we will discuss the impact of leaky air ducts in the attic on the total rate or air leakage in a home.
Many of our On the Job videos explore the energy consumption and comfort problems caused by ducts that run on unconditioned attics.
We also have videos that explain the way air moves inside a building, the pressure differences between the bottom, top, and middle levels of the structure, and how air leakages in the attic have more of an impact on energy consumption than air leakages in the living, or conditioned spaces.
The air that leaks through air ducts in the attic is air that you pay to heat and cool throughout the year. This is air that is not getting to the rooms that it needs to heat and cool.
The test in the video will show that even when the air handler is not running, air from the conditioned space is still escaping through the ducts.
Exactly how much air escapes?
With the help of a blower door test, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, will test a home with unsealed air ducts in the attic, and then run the same test again after the ducts are sealed.
With no other air sealing work performed, the results show that in this particular home, the leaky ducts alone counted for 8% of the total air leakage.
How much air is leaking through ducts in your home? How much more comfortable would be the rooms in your home with this simple and affordable improvement? How much would you save in energy bills? Contact a Dr. Energy Saver dealer in your area today to find out!

How Sealing Attic Ducts Reduces Total Home Air Leakage

In Episode 72 of the “On the Job” video series, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, speaks about a problem that is common during cold winters: ice damming on the roof. While ice dams don’t happen very often, when icicles do appear on the edge of the roof, the consequences can be disastrous. Ice dams occur after snow storms when heated roof shingles cause the snow to melt and the outside temperatures are cold enough to freeze dripping water at the edge of the roof, forming an ice barrier.When that happens, the water from the melting snow gets trapped behind the icy wall and usually finds its way into the house, through the gaps between the shingles. The water not only can damage the roof itself, but it can also leak into the attic and into wall cavities, causing extensive damage to the home. What causes ice damming and what are the ways to prevent it? Larry explains that, while not all ice damming can be prevented, in many instances, the ice dams are a tell-tale sign of a poorly insulated and air sealed home – especially in the attic area. It means that heated air is escaping from your living space into the attic and heating the roof. Most attics in U.S. homes are unconditioned, meaning, the attic is not part of the heated, conditioned living space. The air that you pay to heat should not be escaping to the attic. By properly air sealing all the gaps that allow air to leak out, and by bringing attic insulation R-Value up to 60, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy for homes in the cold regions of the U.S, you will keep the heat where it belongs: inside your living space. The temperatures in the attic will be similar to the outside temperatures and the shingles are less likely to be heated and cause snow melt. While making your home more comfortable and energy efficient, in many cases, this will also help alleviate ice damming problems and protect your property from damages caused by ice dams. Please note that ice damming can occur due to other circumstances such as sun heat on the shingles. Monitoring your roof after snow storms, removing some of the snow from the roof, and other preventive measures might still be necessary even if your attic is properly air sealed and insulated.

Preventing Ice Damming

Welcome to the 70th episode of “On the Job”! In this episode, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, takes us to the attic of a colonial home in Newtown, CT to speak about mold in the attic. Mold problems are quite prevalent in many conventionally insulated, unconditioned attics in the northeast – and in virtually any area of the country where winters are cold and houses are heated. In this particular home in Newtown, the problem is so widespread that it is possible to see the dark mold stains all over the wooden surfaces. Such a wide infestation may eventually cause wood decay and compromise the structural integrity of the roof, but it also raises serious health concerns for the family living in that home. What causes mold problems in the attic? As Larry will show, the problem begins with lack of proper air sealing. Heated air – the air that you pay to heat your home – rises and leaks into the unconditioned attic through all types of gaps, such as holes around pipes and wires, canned lights, unsealed attic hatches, and bathroom fans that vent into the attic instead of the outside. During the winter, an unconditioned attic is usually just as cold as the outside, and so are the roof and wooden structures. When heated, humid air infiltrates the freezing cold attic, it will cool down and per each degree it is cooled, relative humidity rises 2.2%, often bringing the RH levels in the attic up to 100%, at which point condensation occurs all over the cold surfaces.The wood will soak the moisture and create the perfect conditions for mold to develop.In this particular attic, the condensation problem is so significant that the nails used to secure the roof shingles began to rust and drip all over the attic. The only effective way to stop mold from developing in the attic is to properly seal all the gaps and holes. This will help to keep heated air in the conditioned areas from escaping into the cold attic.As it happened in this home, most builders and the typical insulation contact or will not air seal the attic before installing the insulation. That is malpractice because even if R-values are up to recommendations, common attic insulation materials such as fiberglass bats, blown fiberglass or blown cellulose, will only prevent heat from the ceiling from transferring to the attic. It will not stop air flow. Air will leak right through the insulation. An energy efficient attic is the most important component of an energy efficient home. If your home has mold in the attic or if your heating and cooling bills are too high or even if you worry that your attic is not properly insulated visit our website or give us a call to schedule a free evaluation and estimate.

Mold in the Attic

In episode 66 of the On the Job video series, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, is back to once again talk about the energy waste problem created by HVAC ducts that run through an unconditioned attic.
The energy penalties in these cases are so significant that Larry had previously dedicated an entire episode to discuss this problem -- the

Ducts in an Attic

Climate control and comfort in a home depends on much more than the size, power and efficiency of the heating and cooling system. It depends on proper insulation, air sealing and, above all, it depends on the air duct's distribution and adequate balance between return and supply ducts. Larry Janesky, founder of Dr. Energy Saver, was recently in Central Florida helping a homeowner with a high cooling bills, and uneven temperatures around the house.The bedrooms in his house had only supply ducts. The only return ducts were located in the common areas. Using state-of-the-art equipment, Larry demonstrates how the lack of return ducts in this home's bedrooms was increasing the positive pressure in the rooms above acceptable levels, consistently pushing air out of the house, and causing unconditioned, hot and humid air from the outside to be sucked into the common areas of the house. The differences in pressure made the air conditioner work harder, without ever making the whole house comfortable. When homeowners experience similar problems, they tend to mistakenly believe that they need a bigger, and more powerful heating and cooling system. This is why it is a good idea to call in an energy conservation specialist, before you commit to buying an HVAC upgrade. In this case, for example, just by adding a return duct to each bedroom, Dr. Energy Saver experts brought the pressure levels in the rooms down to normal. The temperatures are now even around the house, comfort has improved and the old air conditioner now works more efficiently. If you want to save money, energy and make your home more comfortable, call a Dr. Energy Saver dealer in your area!

Installing Jumper Ducts to Make Bedrooms More Comfortable

Larry Janesky, founder of Dr. Energy Saver, was recently in Florida helping a homeowner solve a problem many other homeowners in the southeast have and don't even know about: ducts in the attic. While these ducts are sometimes used for heating during the winter, most of the year they are used for cooling in the warmer areas of the country. They distribute cool air throughout the house. The problem with having ducts in the attic in these areas is that, as the sun shines relentlessly over the roof during the hot days of summer, regular roof shingles absorb a lot of heat from the sun and that heat is transferred to the attic. On hot days, the temperatures in the attic can be as high as 140 or 150 degrees.When typical ducts, used to distribute cool air throughout the house are located in the attic, and are improperly insulated and air sealed, the air that you paid to cool down to 50 degrees, is running through metal ducts that are baking at 140 degrees in the attic! The air will be heated again, before it reaches the rooms in the house. As a result, your air conditioner system will work harder, more often, and your home will still be uncomfortable. Ducts that run through the attic need to be thoroughly air sealed and insulated. For this particular job, Larry opted for using spray foam to insulate and air seal the ducts, and the connections between ducts and drywall ceiling. While newer homes, built with energy efficiency in mind, will have ducts running through conditioned areas to prevent heat gain and loss, older homes can be made energy efficient with proper duct air sealing and insulation.For more information about how to save energy through sealing and insulating air ducts, or for more energy saving tips, visit our website or call Dr. Energy Saver for a comprehensive home energy audit!

Problems With Ducts in The Attic

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In episode #57 of the On the Job video series, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, walks us through the installation of a high efficiency ductless heat pump. A heat pump’s job is to extract heat from the air to either cool or heat a home. During the summer, it will extract heat from the inside, and move it to the outside, to cool the living space. In wintertime, it will extract heat from the outside and move it to the inside. Heat pumps are very efficient at extracting heat, even when the temperatures are very low outside. They will always be able to extract enough to heat up the home.The unit being installed in this project is a split system, with an outside unit and three internal heads designed to serve three different zones of the building – each with its own thermostat. In Air Condition mode, it has an 18 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating). In Heating Mode it has a 9.5 HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) rating. Heat is transferred between the external and external units through refrigerant line sets. The shorter the line sets, the more efficient the system is. A fan in the internal units then distributes hot or cold air throughout each of the three zones. While it may seem like a disadvantage having the hot or cold air blow from a single wall mounted unit, a high efficiency ductless system is still able to effectively maintain comfortable temperatures because there is no heat loss or gain through the ducts. The ductless heat pump is a great option when there isn’t a lot of space for bulky ductwork.
To learn more about heat pumps and other energy efficient ways to heat and cool your home, watch our other On the Job videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest updates. Visit our website to schedule a free estimate with a Dr. Energy Saver dealer in your area.

Ductless Heat Pumps

If your air conditioning system is 10 years old or more, you can bet it is wasting a lot of energy and costing you a lot of money. Ten or fifteen years ago, the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rate (SEER) of the best available air conditioner was around 6 to 8, which is less than half of today's high efficiency models with a SEER of 19 to 20. SEER is the measurement of how much energy and money spent to run the air conditioner is actually being converted into cold air. Older models also lose some of the SEER as they age. A model that was originally operated at 6 to 8 SEER, after many years, may be operating at SEERs as low as 6 or 4.In addition to lower SEERs, older units are often improperly maintained. Dirt and moisture accumulate around the coils and ducts, while the A/C unit also becomes the breeding ground and dissemination device for mold and other common allergens, viruses, bacteria and many other pollutants. All of these pollutants will compromise indoor air quality and the health of your family A modern, high efficiency device contains an array of features that will not only cool the air more efficiently with much higher SEERs; but also filter and rid the air from dirt, viruses and moisture as it passes through the unit. High efficiency units are usually much larger than older models to allow for better heat dispersion. Two-compressor, two-stage units allow the air conditioner to run at only 70% of its capacity in cooler days. They also operate at variable speed, which draws moisture out of the air and saves energy.Larry Janesky, president and owner of Dr. Energy Saver explains that the upfront cost of an air conditioning unit is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of costs. The bulk of the cost of having an air conditioner is paid in energy bills over the lifespan of the unit. It is not a smart move to get the least expensive unit to avoid higher upfront costs and end up spending 2 to 3 times more money to run the air conditioner over the years. If you are shopping for an Air Conditioner or Heating System upgrade, give Dr. Energy Saver a call. We will evaluate your home's energy consumption, and recommend only models that will give you the best savings per dollar invested, within your specifications and budget.

The Difference Between Low and High Efficiency Air Conditioners

Fifty years ago, before central air conditioners became the norm for cooling US homes, whole house fans were used for that purpose. Installed on the uppermost levels of the house, they were actually big exhausters, which would suck hot air from inside the house and into the vented attic, causing air from the outside to be sucked in through open windows and doors.
The reason why whole house fans became obsolete is that they don't allow homeowners to really control the temperature or comfort inside the house -- like they can do with air conditioners. If the outside air is too hot and muggy, that is the kind of air that will be brought into the home.
Nevertheless, many homes in the U.S. still have whole house fans installed -- and whole house fans represent a big gap in the building envelope, and can become a huge source of energy waste during the winter.
Because of a physics phenomenon known as the

Sealing and insulating a Whole House Fan

Welcome to episode 65 of the On the Job Series! In this segment, Tanner Janesky from Dr. Energy Saver makes his video debut by walking us through the 8 steps necessary to successfully install an airtight David Lewis attic hatch cover.
As discussed in previous On the Job videos, the average home in the U.S. wastes a lot of energy through the attic. As the heated air in the conditioned space rises, it seeks to escape through any gaps on the upper levels of the building -- especially the unconditioned attic. This is why it is very important to air seal any gaps between the living space and the attic, and the attic hatch is usually a major source of air leakage.
There are three main criteria that define a properly installed hatch cover. First, it needs to stop air flow from the living space into the attic. Second, it is important to keep in mind that the attic will eventually need to be accessed by the homeowner, especially if it houses ducts and other appliances or if the space is used for storage. The hatch cover needs to be easy to remove and replace as well. Finally, it needs to look nice and neat, since the homeowner will be using it periodically.
The following are the eight steps necessary to successfully install a David Lewis hatch cover, as shown in the video:1. Assemble the hatch cover2. Air seal the hatch cover3. Install weather stripping at the bottom of the hatch cover4. Position it over the opening downstairs.5. Check for gaps on the bottom of the hatch cover 6. Make the necessary adjustments to level the super deck so that there are no gaps between it and the hatch cover.7. Install furring strip guides over the super deck, so that the cover can be easily lifted and returned to its proper place.8. Air seal any additional gaps around the hatch cover and on the super deck, to prevent air flow from the conditioned area into the attic.
As an additional step, bungee cords can be installed on the hatch cover and attached to the super deck to help secure it in place, pressing the weather stripping against the surface of the super deck to create a tighter seal.
For more videos on how to make your attic and home more energy efficient, watch other On the Job Videos and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for the latest updates!

How to Install an Airtight Hatch Cover

If you've been watching videos or reading articles about home energy efficiency, you most likely heard or saw the term

The Stack Effect

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