The equipment that heats and cools us at home needs to be operating at top form to deliver comfort and efficiency. Leaky duct work, over sized heating and cooling equipment, and improperly balanced forced air, hot water, and steam systems are common problems that waste energy.
Combustion equipment (using natural gas, oil, propane) needs to operate safely, especially once a house is air tight. Health safety tests for equipment drafting, safe carbon monoxide levels, and natural gas leakage are important. BPI certified contractors and energy auditors perform these tests. Note that amateur duct sealing can lead to back drafting and carbon monoxide hazards in your house
Beginner
ACEEE’s “Home Heating”
Discusses when to replace your furnace or boiler, how to choose a contractor, and how much your utility bill savings should be when upgrading your heating system.
Intermediate
Efficient Residential Heating and Ventilation Information
The following booklets on this site explain how to save energy when heating and ventilating: “Home Heating,” “Home Diagnostics,” and “Indoor Ventilation.”
Advanced
Sealing ducts
A 3-page description with sketches and photos of sealing leaky air ducts. Ducts are often overlooked as a part of higher efficiency.
Air distribution system installation and sealing
A 6-page booklet with detailed sketches of air sealing and insulating ducts.