A Guide To Duct Insulation For Los Angeles-Area Homeowners

You probably don’t give much thought to the ductwork running behind your walls, floors and ceilings. However, without proper duct insulation, you could be losing energy, especially in areas where ducts run through unconditioned spaces such as the attic or garage. Adding duct insulation prevents heat loss through conduction, which can waste 10-30 percent of the energy required to heat or cool the air.

When energy is wasted because of heat conduction in unconditioned spaces, your heating and cooling equipment must work harder to make up for the lost energy. This increases energy bills and makes it take longer to cool off or heat up your home. Even ducts traveling through conditioned spaces can be fitted with minimal amounts of duct insulation to prevent condensation from forming on the duct walls.

A technician will typically choose rigid fiber board for duct insulation. It’s constructed of fiberglass or mineral wool, and provides heat flow resistance, or R-value, of approximately R-4 per inch of thickness.

The amount of duct insulation recommended for Pasadena is lower than other areas because conducted heat transfer is more of a concern in cold weather climates. Still, residents of southern California should have one to two inches of duct insulation to provide R-4 to R-8 of heat flow resistance in areas where ducts travel through the attic. If you choose to insulate ductwork in other areas, you only need one inch or less or prevent condensation on the duct walls.

Improved home efficiency is the goal of many California residents today. Clearly, adding duct insulation is a great way to decrease your heating and cooling bills all year round. For more information, please contact Air-Tro, Inc. Heating & Air Conditioning. We are located in Pasadena and provide service to the surrounding areas.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about duct insulation and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

Air-Tro Inc. services the greater Los Angeles area as well as the metro areas of Riverside and San Bernardino County.