You spend most of your time in your home , but it can be an expensive place to maintain. With energy consumption at an all-time high we need to do all we can to conserve energy by the use of energy efficient appliances, high efficient heating and cooling systems, adequate insulation, insulated double pane windows and other products designed to use less energy.

In addition to the environmental impact, more energy-efficient items for the home can save you money in the long run on electrical bills. Any items you choose for your home that are energy efficient will help to contribute to keeping overall home operating costs lower, saving your family money.

if your are building a new home or just replacing an existing HVAC system consider replacing your equipment with a high-efficiency unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR. How much energy you save will vary based on the amount you use and the climate where you live.

Gas furnaces are the most commonly used residential heating systems, but there are Propane furnaces, Electric furnaces and Oil furnaces. High-efficiency gas furnaces, also known as condensing furnaces, condense the water vapor in exhaust gases to extract additional heat. This efficiency is considerably more expensive than a regular 80% efficient gas furnace however, a 90% efficient gas condensing furnace may also cost about $1,000 more plus installation costs may be higher as well.

A condensing furnace with an AFUE of 95% or more will qualify for a federal tax credit if installed by the end of 2011, and additional rebates may be available in certain areas. Experts generally agree that in areas with harsh winters, such as the Northeast and Midwest, a high-efficiency furnace is worth the higher initial cost., but in milder climates, an 80% AFUE furnace is likely to be more cost effective in the long run.

The conditioned air enters your home through a duct system, in residential homes that have the standard split system, (Heating furnace & evaporator coil on the inside of the house and the condensing unit outside) will have a metal plenum that sits on top of the furnace/evaporator and extends through the ceiling of the furnace closet up into the attic.

The individual ducts are tapped into the plenum and run to the different rooms in your home. This is where a lot of Heat & Air Contractors drop the ball. In my opinion ( I was in the HVAC business for 30 years & the Test) the duct system is the most important part of the entire system and the most over looked. Attics are hot and dirty, there is insulation every where and it gets all over you so you want to get out of there as quickly as possible.

You decided to use flex duct, it's already insulated and it will be much faster and hey, everyone else is using it. So what if you have less static pressure, they will never measure the air flow anyway Once again, I have been there and done that and I am telling you, you should not settle for anything less than a properly sized and sealed Metal Duct System with a properly sized return area, if your HVAC Contractor won't do it then find one who will. You will have a great working system that you will be satisfied with and it will last forever.