Technology Solutions Case Study: Ducts Sealing Using Injected Spray Sealant
In multifamily and attached buildings, traditional duct sealing methods are often impractical or costly and disruptive because of the difficulty in accessing leakage sites. In this project, the Raleigh Housing Authority worked with Building America team, the Advanced Residential Integrated Solutions Collaborative to determine the most cost-effective ways to reduce duct leakage in its low-rise housing units.Two retrofit duct sealing techniques—manually-applied sealants and injecting a spray sealant—were implemented in several low-rise multiunit buildings. An analysis on the cost and performance of the two methods are presented. Each method was used in twenty housing units: approximately half of each group of units are single story and the remainder two-story. Results show that duct leakage to the outside was reduced by an average of 59% through the use of manual methods, and by 90% in the units where the injected spray sealant was used. Ihe cost of manually-applying sealant ranged from $275 to $511 per unit and for the injected spray sealant the cost was $700 per unit. Modeling suggests a simple payback of 2.2 years for manual sealing and 4.7 years for the injected spray sealant system. Utility bills were collected for one year before and after the retrofits. Utility bill analysis shows 14% and 16% energy savings using injected spray sealant system and hand sealing procedure respectively in heating season whereas in cooling season, energy savings using injected spray sealant system and hand sealing were both 16%.
- Research Organization:
- ARIES
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Building Technologies Office (EE-5B) (Building America)
- OSTI ID:
- 1221058
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/GO-102014-4395; 6767
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Ducts Sealing Using Injected Spray Sealant, Raleigh, North Carolina (Fact Sheet)
Raleigh Housing Authority Duct Sealing Evaluation