It took me fifteen years to finally get around to have my duct system inspected by a licensed HVAC contractor. Although I’ve been fairly good about regular upkeep for the furnace and air conditioner, I never gave the ductwork a thought. The pipes are hidden inside the walls, ceilings and attic, where I don’t see them and therefor don’t think about them. As long as the heating and cooling system continued to operate, I was satisfied. It wasn’t until I noticed that my monthly energy bills had steadily risen higher and higher that I started paying closer attention to the performance of the heating and cooling system. Over the winter, I realized that I’d been been forced to raise the thermostat setting by several degrees to keep the house comfortable. The furnace was definitely running more often and struggling to handle demand. There was more dust settling on surfaces, requiring me to vacuum and clean more frequently. The house even smelled a bit musty. When I contacted a local HVAC contractor and explained my concerns, he immediately suggested duct cleaning and sealing. He asked when was the last time I’d had the ducts professionally serviced, and I was embarrassed to tell him that I never had. When he inspected the inside of the ducts, he found leaks at the seams, numerous holes and an accumulation of a debris. There were bugs, webs, dust, mold growth, construction debris and even a dead mouse concealed in the ducts. The air my family breathes was passing through these contaminants. The duct cleaning and sealing process was completed over the course of a single day. The service was rather expensive but has paid for itself through energy savings.