Your home’s duct system is a branching network of tubes in the walls, floors, and ceilings which carries the air from your home’s furnace and central air conditioner to each room. If your duct system is not properly insulated, this could lead to wasting of your energy dollars.

 Here is what you can do:

• Check your ducts for air leaks. First, look for sections that should be joined but have separated and then look for obvious holes.
• If you use tape to seal your ducts, avoid cloth-backed, rubber adhesive duct tape, which tends to fail quickly. Researchers recommend other products to seal ducts such as mastic, foil tape, or other heat-approved tapes. Look for tape with the Underwriters Laboratories logo.
• Remember that insulating ducts in the basement will make the basement colder.
• Be sure a well-sealed vapour barrier exists on the outside of the insulation on cooling ducts to prevent moisture build-up.
• When doing duct work, be sure to get professional help. Changes and repairs to a duct system should always be performed by a qualified professional.
• Ducts that don’t work properly can create serious, life-threatening carbon monoxide (CO) problems in the home. Install a CO monitor to alert you to harmful CO levels if you have a fuel-burning furnace, stove or other appliance, or an attached garage.
• For new construction, consider placing ducts in conditioned space—space that is heated and cooled—instead of running ducts through unconditioned areas like the crawlspace or attic, which is less efficient.