According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average homeowner in Canada spends between $700 and $1,700 each year just to heat their home.
If you’re like us, you sure would like to come in closer to the low end of that range. But then again, if you’re like us, you would prefer to come in even lower—if possible, as much as 40 percent lower!
Part of the cost disparity arises from the type of fuel you are using. For example, homeowners in the $700 range are more likely to be using natural gas or propane. Conversely, homeowners nearing the $1,700 range are likely relying on heating oil. Those in between are probably using electric power.
Regardless of what fuel type you currently require to keep your home warm this winter, you can still save money by doing just one thing differently this year—having your indoor air ducts professionally cleaned.
In this article, we take you through what it is like to have your indoor air ducts cleaned and why this one simple choice can make such a huge impact on your annual heat expenses.
How to Know Your Indoor Air Ducts Need Cleaning
If your shelves get dusty, you can get out the dusting cloths and wipe them clean. If your rugs collect debris, you can power up the vacuum and restore them to cleanliness.
But if your indoor air ducts get dirty, you might not even know it, because they are hidden well away from your sight. In most homes, the air ducts are the dirtiest part of the whole house for precisely this same reason.
You can think of it like this: every time you see that thin layer of dust forming on your fixtures or window sills, this represents just the tip of the dusty iceberg lurking within your indoor air ducts.
After all, how does the dust even get inside your home in the first place? It gets pushed out of its hiding place within your air duct system and eventually comes to rest on visible surfaces in your home until you notice it and wipe it up.
If you wouldn’t dream of leaving dirt on your carpet, dust on your cabinet shelves, food particles on your stovetop, or crumbs on your table, it just makes sense to think you wouldn’t want to leave heaping quantities of dust and debris inside your air ducts.
But first, you have to realize it is there!
Why Clean Your Indoor Air Ducts?
Care to take a guess as to what makes up the dust and debris piled up high inside your air ducts?
If you guessed dust mites, pet dander, allergens, pollen, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mould and mildew spores, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, pesticides, chemicals from cleaning products and home scents, tobacco residue (if someone smokes), and worse, you just aced this quiz.
While you may be one of the lucky few who is less sensitive to these types of irritants, others in your family may not be so fortunate. According to Breathe: The Lung Association, the average Canadian spends up to 90 percent of each day indoors.
In a home or workplace with dirty air ducts, this means that 90 percent of every day is spent breathing in these toxins as they continue to build up to ever-higher and more poisonous levels. It is no wonder, then, that people who are already susceptible to allergies and asthma often find their symptoms worsening the longer they remain indoors in the same space.
Even for those who take longer to evidence symptoms, the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) states that continually breathing in these toxins over time can eventually lead to lung cancer, heart disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and the onset of asthma, among other health dangers.
How Cleaning Your Air Ducts Can Save You Up to 40 Percent
The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) estimates that contaminants trapped inside your home’s air duct system will be recirculated in your indoor air up to 7 times per day.
Even worse, you are likely to be introducing new toxins into your already contaminated indoor air on a daily basis.
For example, every time you clean your home using commercial cleaning products, burn a scented candle, spray for pest control, or brush your dog’s coat, you are sending volumes of new toxins into your air ducts to get trapped and recirculated for the foreseeable future. Yuck!
Worse still, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that once this vicious cycle begins, up to 40 percent of the energy you burn to heat and cool your home will be wasted. The waste comes about because the buildup inside your air ducts forces your HVAC system to work so much harder than it needs to. It has to draw in more power than it is designed to require to run at peak efficiency.
How can you get that 40 percent back? It’s simple—all you need to do is schedule a professional indoor air duct cleaning.
Calculating Your Energy Savings
Let’s say you spend $700 each year on heating. Here, having your air ducts cleaned will put $280 back in your pocket this winter.
But what if you spend $1,700? In this case, you will recoup a cool $680 from having your air ducts cleaned.
Contact Clean Air Solutions Hamilton to Schedule
Clean Air Solutions Hamilton is the indoor air quality arm of Shipton’s Heating & Cooling, Ltd., a company that has been serving families and business owners in the Hamilton and surrounding areas for nearly a century.
We specialize in helping our clients breathe purer, fresher air while saving as much money as possible. We can help you do the same. Contact us today at 905-544-2470 or online anytime at www.cleanairsolutionshamilton.ca to schedule your home’s professional indoor air duct cleaning appointment.
