How to keep the Texas Heat Out

Everyday people ask me what is the single biggest thing they can do to improve efficiency and comfort in their home. When you live in Texas this is a huge concern. How do we keep out the Texas Heat?

I ask customers...How old is the home and where are the ducts located?
When I hear “home over 25 years old” a big red flags go up. Think of your house as one big refrigerator. Leaky ducts are like leaving the door open.

Duct leakage is generally measured as a percentage. For example, if you have 20% duct leakage this means that approximately 20% of the COLD air you are buying is being pushed OUT of the ducts and into the attic. Or, duct leakage can also mean you are SUCKING cold attic air INTO the duct system on the return side of the air handler. On new High-Performance homes, professional energy auditors are usually shooting for less than 2-5% duct leakage. On older homes (especially with metal ducts) it is common to see duct leakage OVER 40%.

Why do older homes have such bad leaky ducts? Back in the era between about 1950-1980 NOBODY cared about energy efficiency. Energy was CHEAP, so installers usually didn’t bother to take the extra time or money to seal the ducts. For metal ducts this meant sliding two sections of duct together and using three screws to connect them. Then, they would wrap the ducts with insulation to keep them from sweating or condensing moisture, not primarily to insulate them.

After repairing or replacing all duct work it is IMPORTANT to Ventilate, Insulate and add Radiant Barrier Foil! This the key to a cooler more energy efficient home.