A true Canadian winter is not weather to take lightly. Winter is not just the longest season here in Canada, but it is also the most extreme.
With the onset of climate change, Canada’s winters are also getting increasingly unpredictable, with more rain, snow, severe weather and erratic weather patterns.
What this adds up to is that it is never too early to start planning ahead for winterization. Effectively protecting your home, seasonal cottage or workplace takes an investment of time, effort and sometimes funds.
While “cleaning ductwork” may not be sitting right at the top of this winter’s to-do checklist, this post offers compelling reasons it should be!
Indoor Air is Now MORE Toxic Than Outdoor Air
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside the average North American home is up to five times more toxic than the outdoor air.
To add fuel to the fire (so to speak), the average Canadian reports spending as little as five minutes per day outside, which means most of us breathe indoor air pretty much all day every day.
Indoor air toxicity is now known to be linked to an increase in asthma and allergy symptoms, lung cancer, heart disease, low birth weight in infants, impaired concentration and focus, poor school performance and much more.
We don’t share these statistics to alarm, but rather to give you incentive; the good news is that you can do a great deal to improve the quality and safety of your own indoor air.
Unlike the problems with outdoor air pollution, which each person can impact only minimally, you can have a great deal more control over the quality of your indoor air.
Even better, the steps you take to purify your indoor air often have the happy side effect of lowering your energy bills as well.
One of the most important steps you can take is to have your air ducts cleaned, and not just at any time of year but specifically before the winter season begins.
4 Compelling Reasons to Clean Your Ducts Before Winter
These are only four of the most compelling reasons to give your air duct system a professional cleaning before winter arrives!
1. Eliminate Dangerous Health Concerns
There is no nice way to say it – air ducts often harbor some pretty yucky stuff. Mould. Mildew. Dust. Dust mites. Insects. Rodents. Waste. Pollen. Volatile organic compounds. Bacteria. Germs.
The nature of air ducts means it is a lot easier for these weightier toxins to get in than it is for them to get out. Trapped toxins tend to build up over time, as only a very small percentage will get pushed back out through the air registers into your home.
The rest remains and multiplies. This is especially true of fungi like mould and mildew, which readily colonizes the dark, warm, enclosed space of the winter air duct.
Take it from us – it is amazing how quickly mould and mildew can grow during the winter season.
Having your air ducts professionally cleaned and sanitized before the winter season automatically reduces your risk for winter time allergy/asthma attacks, respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia and of course that winter favorite, cold and flu season.
2. Identify Home Fire Hazards
If there is any scarier thought than black mould in your air ducts, perhaps it is this: air ducts catching on fire.
Every year home fires start for entirely preventable reasons like dust and debris trapped inside air duct systems. All that trapped matter is extremely flammable. Just one spark in the wrong direction and your air ducts can go up in flames.
We don’t ever want to see that tragedy happen for any of our customers, which is why we recommend scheduling your indoor air duct cleaning before the winter season begins.
3. Clean and Purify Your Indoor Air
Even if you go the whole nine yards and install a HEPA air filtration system, an ultraviolet air purification system and a heat recovery ventilator to clean up your indoor air, your air will still only be as clean as what is already trapped inside your air duct system.
If you really want to clean and purify your indoor air for the foreseeable future, you will do the indoor air duct cleaning first and then add on additional ventilation, filtration and purification aids to keep your indoor air clean.
4. Lower Winter (and Summer) Energy Bills
It probably comes as no surprise to hear that the average Canadian homeowner spends 61 percent of annual energy use just on heating their home.
The typical Ontario homeowner reports annual energy costs of around $2,358 per year.
61 percent of that amount is $1,438.
One recent study showed that you can trim as much as 11 percent off your energy bills just by doing light cleaning of your HVAC system and air ducts once annually.
This works out to a savings of around $158 on heating costs alone.
But what if your air ducts haven’t been professionally cleaned in years or ever? In this case, expect energy savings of up to 40 percent by combining preventative HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning.
A 40 percent reduction in heating energy costs will net you an additional $575 in energy savings.
How are cost savings like these possible just by cleaning out your indoor air ducts, you may be wondering?
The answer is simple: when your air ducts get clogged, your HVAC system has to work much harder to push air through the ducts. By cleaning your ducts, you help your HVAC do more with less energy!
Get in Touch
Are you ready to clean up your indoor air once and for all? Get started now with a professional indoor air duct cleaning that will save you money and keep you healthier all winter long!
Contact us online or give us a call at 905-544-2470.
