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Part of ensuring a comfortable, energy-efficient home includes having an effective ductwork system. Your home’s ductwork is responsible for delivering heated and cooled air throughout your home, helping to ensure comfort and energy savings.

Ductwork design is therefore a critical factor in making comfort and savings possible. When planning a ductwork system for your newly constructed home, or if you’re considering a retrofit, these five ductwork design factors will help ensure a solid delivery system:

• To minimize conduction — the process by which ducts lose energy from the conditioned air inside them to the colder or hotter air outside the ducts — be sure to install most of the ducts within conditioned spaces of your home, or those spaces that are heated and cooled.
• For larger or multiple-story homes, ducts often deliver a higher level of performance when two duct systems are installed. In multi-level homes, for instance, the upper levels incur more heat gain during summer and are generally cooler during winter. Having separate ductwork for upper floors will help produce an ideal temperature and save energy.
• When planning supply-duct runs, be sure to locate supply-air registers alongside the interior walls of your home, which will decrease the length of the duct run and ensure consistent temperatures from the point where your HVAC equipment conditions the air to delivery through the supply registers.
• Supply outlets should not be located close to any exhaust fans in kitchens or bathrooms, as these fans will draw heated or cooled air from the supply outlets before it can reach your home.
• Insist on high-quality air sealing and installation to reduce the risk of air leaks. Additionally, make sure your contractor uses high-efficiency insulation specifically designed for ductwork around any portions of the duct system that must be located in unconditioned areas of your home, such as the basement or attic.

Make your ductwork design a high priority during the planning stage. Doing so will help guarantee a comfortable, energy-efficient home. For assistance, contact Home Comfort Experts. With headquarters in South Bend, we serve homeowners in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan.