Here are some quick facts about home energy.
Austin Energy compiled these results from the first wave of audits:
86% Homes with ducts that leaked more than the 10 percent rate considered acceptable for energy efficiency.
22% Average amount of air leakage.
$260 Annual average dollar loss per home of electricity because of leaky ducts.
807,840 Total annual kilowatt-hours of electricity wasted by the houses — enough to power 67 average-size homes for a year.
1 million Pounds of carbon dioxide emitted annually to produce the wasted electricity.
$500 Average cost to seal ducts, after Austin Energy rebates, with a $120 average annual savings.
$661 Average cost to add 6 inches of attic insulation, after rebates, with an average annual savings of $90.
Leaking air ducts bring dust and other particles into the house and blow it everywhere.
Air leakage accounts for 5% to 40% of the costs to heat and cool buildings.
A one-inch square hole will let in 30 quarts of water vapor over the course of a season. That moisture rots wood and makes mold and dust mites thrive.
Leaks can bring in airborne pollutants, including pollen, mold and auto exhaust.
In the warm months, leaks bring in air filled with moisture. The cooling system has to run longer to take out this moisture, wasting energy and money.
Plumbing penetrations typically have large open, leaky areas.
Wind washing (air leaking into and through insulation) can reduce effectiveness of insulation by 15% to 50%.
Research in Florida showed that sealing ducts in existing homes reduced cooling costs by about 33%.
Leaky ducts waste energy (and money!) by leaking conditioned air to unconditioned space.
In addition, leaky ducts significantly increase other air leaks by creating unbalanced pressures in the house.
Duct and air leaks can cause air and dangerous pollutants from the crawl space, garage and attic to be pulled into the living area.
A 990 square foot attic insulated with R-30 insulation but with ten square feet of uninsulated attic access brings the effective R-value of the attic insulation to R-23.
In the United States, they estimate energy loss from leaky ducts at $10 billion annually.
$20 to $30 out of every $100 you are spending on energy to heat the house is leaking into the cross space or somewhere else that you don't intentionally want to heat.
Leaky ducts can reduce heating and cooling system efficiency by as much as 20 percent.
Leaky ducts make your HVAC work much harder—ducts leaking just 20% of the conditioned air passing through them cause your system to work 50% harder.
Duct leakage can result in mold problems and potential health and safety issues.
Sealing leaky ducts can save you well over $300/year.
