ESCO’S Relying on Duct Sealing for a Simple, Impactful ECM
Webinar walks through Aeroseal’s comprehensive approach to commercial projects
Aeroseal’s latest webinar, “ESCO PROJECT 101: From First Call to Project Completion” explored the specific steps taken with Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) on commercial projects.
From initial consultation to the audit, proposal, through to the project’s launch and completion, we have streamlined our commercial duct sealing process to make it easier than ever to deliver energy savings on ESCO projects.
Addressing an Unchecked Issue
Facility managers aren’t usually aware of duct leakage’s pervasiveness, much less the benefits and impact made by addressing it. But research across multiple sources was shared in the webinar, reinforcing the fact that this is an opportunity for improvement as much as it is a critical issue.
A Comprehensive, Four-Phase Process
Luckily, this issue can be addressed by taking a comprehensive approach to a building’s airflow and ventilation.
- Phase 1 – Audit & Evaluation: This visual audit and inspection assess the condition of your entire HVAC system, including ductwork, to identify potential issues. We collect several different data points and look for ways to minimize disruption during the sealing process.
- Phase 2 – Test & Plan: To determine the amount of leakage in the ductwork system, Aeroseal’s team blocks off registers including ventilation shafts, heating and cooling shafts, and other ductwork, to pressurize the system. With a thorough understanding of the building’s HVAC system leakage, a project timeline and plan are created. This includes energy modeling to identify energy savings and payback.
- Phase 3 – Repair, Clean, Sanitize, & Seal Ductwork: Making sure the duct system doesn’t need repairs is critical to ensuring project results, this includes VAV or register box connectors, disconnected ductwork, canvas connectors, diffusers, and registers. Using Aeroseal’s non-invasive technology, we seal the ductwork to ensure the building’s HVAC system can operate at peak efficiency. The video below shows how duct leaks are sealed in commercial buildings.
- Phase 4 – Project Measurement & Verification: The Aeroseal software used to measure duct leakage monitors leak reduction in real-time, as it’s applied. Once a project’s leakage goals are achieved, the software verifies and records the results. A certificate showing the leakage before and after the process is then issued for the facility’s records.
Showing a Proven Process in Action
The commercial team briefly walked through three projects across different industries to show the impact their process is having nationwide.
San Diego Federal Bureau of Prisons: Aeroseal reduced leakage by 89% and avoided the cost of replacing the facilities existing ductwork. The process was conducted in the secure environment without impacting inmate or employee health and safety.
Upstate New York Hospital: Aeroseal’s team reduced leakage by 97% without interrupting the hospital’s 24/7 operations.
West Texas A&M: By reducing leakage 93% as part of a system-wide performance upgrade, Aeroseal duct sealing is saving the university $30,000 annually.
As you’ll see from the full-length webinar recording below, Aeroseal’s thorough process, deployed by an experienced team back by our proven technology, ensures facilities have cleaner and healthier indoor air and a more comfortable work environment while using less energy. And with building occupants more comfortable than before, research shows they are also more productive.