How Much Energy Does the Sealing Process Save?
Energy savings are different for light commercial vs. large commercial buildings and obviously depend upon the initial duct leakage level. The Carrier-Aeroseal Energy Savings Excel spreadsheet can be used to estimate the savings for both types of buildings. For ducts above an insulated ceiling in a light commercial building, energy savings should be 1030% of HVAC energy use, and peak electricity-demand reduction is generally a higher percentage. In a large commercial office building with a VAV system, energy savings and demand reduction should be 2040% of fan-system energy use and 510% of cooling energy use. As a rough estimate, excluding any of the non-energy benefits of duct sealing, simple payback times typically range from 1 to 4 years, and return on investment between 30% and 70%.
