Ducts in Conditioned Space: Installing HVAC for Comfort and Savings Spray-foam insulation changes how the HVAC duct work should be hung.

Click here to visit the PATH website.  PDF Click the image above for a larger view. Robert Black founded Access of Sarasota in 1994. He averages about 30 remodeling and building projects and $0.5 million in sales annually, primarily in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. After more than 40 years in the construction industry, Black now specializes in aging-in-place retrofits. Many of his older clients are especially concerned about rising energy costs. Mike Feil, a high-end trim carpenter, plans to live in his new home for the rest of his life. A former employee of Access of Sarasota (Sarasota, Fla.), Feil was concerned about rising energy prices and knew he wanted his ductwork installed in a conditioned attic. This isn't difficult, but spraying Icynene in the unvented attic's roofline to create conditioned space does change how the duct work should be hung and necessitates bringing make-up air into the home. "Clients view getting a highly energy-efficient home as one of the benefits of choosing our business," says Robert Black, CGR, CAPS, owner of Access of Sarasota. "We sell energy efficiency to people who plan on living in their homes for the rest of their lives, so energy costs are an important consideration for their overall lifetime costs. Putting the ducts in conditioned space and insulating the attic roofline helps us cut our customers' energy costs." "Instead of putting the insulation in the attic floor, we put it up against the roof," Black says. "It gives you a much more energy-efficient shell. By using foam insulation, it completely seals everything, and it gives you more room to run ductwork on the attic floor. Spraying insulation is also really easy. You can find Icynene contractors everywhere." Leaky ductwork and equipment in crawlspaces or unconditioned attics can draw in unhealthy air. Locating the ducts in conditioned space eliminates this problem and can reduce heating and cooling costs by 20 to 35 percent. Insulating and sealing the attic roofline is a straightforward way of placing the system in conditioned space.   1 | 2 | 3  NEXT