{"id":412209,"date":"2024-08-08T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=412209"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"A-system-to-care-for-indoor-air-starts-at-the-top","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/A-system-to-care-for-indoor-air-starts-at-the-top\/","title":{"rendered":"A system to care for indoor air starts at the top"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(BPT) &#8211; Many homeowners are diligent about having their home\u2019s air conditioning system regularly inspected and serviced. After all, who wants to toss and turn on a sweltering night because the air conditioner stopped working? However, a home\u2019s cooling equipment is not the only residential HVAC component that benefits from regular inspection. The various parts of a home\u2019s heating and cooling system work together to support whole-home comfort and energy efficiency. Consequently, an HVAC maintenance call should not end with simply checking the equipment but should evaluate the whole system \u2014 including a home\u2019s attic.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Consider the whole system<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Depending on location, some components of the HVAC system are more obvious than others. The condenser that conditions air as well as the registers that allow cooled\/conditioned air to enter living spaces are typically visible. Issues that can compromise comfort \u2014 like a closed register \u2014 may be easy to spot and resolve with simple practices. For example, changing the air filter regularly, as directed by the manufacturer, can help support the cooling system\u2019s operating efficiency. Problems in more remote areas of a home\u2019s comfort system \u2014 like attic ductwork \u2014 can be more challenging to spot and resolve.<\/p>\n<p>When attic ductwork is damaged, or an attic lacks sufficient insulation, comfort and energy efficiency issues can occur. Loose connections or holes in attic ductwork can allow particulates in the attic to be distributed throughout the home\u2019s interior and conditioned air can escape before it reaches the supply register. Some potential signs of problems with attic ductwork include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Excess dust in the living areas of the home<\/li>\n<li>Musty and unusual odors (think attic smell)<\/li>\n<li>Rooms that are consistently too hot or too cold<\/li>\n<li>Equipment that cycles on and off more frequently<\/li>\n<li>A spike in energy bills<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Depending on conditions in the attic, insect or vermin debris, mold or simply a \u201cstale air\u201d smell can potentially infiltrate into a home\u2019s living spaces. If moisture is present in the attic, conditions can allow for mold to grow, entering ductwork and \u201cpolluting\u201d indoor air.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Caring for air with a \u201cwhole home\u201d approach<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As part of the HVAC system, attic ductwork should not be overlooked when it comes to protecting a home\u2019s indoor air quality. A whole-home approach to caring for a home\u2019s air considers how conditions in the attic (and other parts of the home \u2014 like crawl spaces and garages) can influence air throughout the home. Because ductwork is often located in the attic, this location provides an attractive opportunity to potentially improve comfort throughout the whole home and helps support energy efficiency. Adding an adequate amount of attic insulation and retrofitting attic ductwork are two steps to consider when taking a whole-home approach to air care.<\/p>\n<p>Contractors designated as Owens Corning AirCare<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Professionals are trained on the whole home approach and look to identify areas in a home\u2019s attic that may lead to problems with air throughout the home. AirCare<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Professionals are equipped with tools to assess and evaluate conditions in the attic. For example, assuring an adequate insulation thickness can help support thermal efficiency in all seasons. AirCare<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Professionals can recommend a level of insulation to help the homeowner increase energy efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to measuring attic insulation, an Owens Corning AirCare<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Professional can help ensure that ductwork in the attic is properly sealed and sized to help support comfort and energy efficiency. He or she will evaluate the system for loose connections and evaluate the ductwork to ensure components are properly sealed. Starting at the top \u2014 in the attic \u2014 can bring a whole-home approach to supporting an HVAC system. To find an AirCare<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> professional and potentially improve your home\u2019s overall comfort, visit the online locator at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.owenscorning.com\/en-us\/insulation\/find-hvac-contractor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">HVAC Contractor Locator | Insulation | Owens Corning<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/imgupload\/d9ef68a7961888be555710a8c46154b2.jpg\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" \/><br \/>A system to care for indoor air starts at the top<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(BPT) &#8211; Many homeowners are diligent about having their home\u2019s air conditioning system regularly inspected&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-412209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412209\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}