New Duct Sealing Requirements

There are new requirements for duct sealing on certain heating and air conditioioning ducts. Details are athttp://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/changeout/This will be required on some new and also replacement units. A third party inspecter may be required to certify the ducts are sealed to allow no more than a specific amount of leakage. This will impact a homeseller's disclosures if they did not have the testing done when it was required, and a Home Warranty company may not pay for these tests if they have to replace a heater.

It is something to check out be you a Seller or Buyer.The testing will not be required by the law just because a home sells. A Buyer may require the test as part of his purchase contract, that is a negotiable item. Testing and repairs can be expensive. The Commissioner of the California Energy Commission says:"The average home’s ducts leak around 30 percent of the conditioned air outsidethe home. These leaks are taking money straight out of your pocketbook."

In the long run this can save money, but it could be costly in the short run. Consult your HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) contractor for details.See http://www.cslb.ca.gov/ for info on contracting