Efficiency

• When you wrap your heating ducts in insulation you are improving their heating efficiency. Even though your ducts are designed to carry warm air throughout your home, they are still susceptible to allowing a certain amount of energy from escaping either through the duct seals or the duct housing itself. Encasing your ducts in insulation will allow your furnace to keep your home warm by producing less heat, and this can lower your energy bills. By increasing the efficiency of your furnace you are also decreasing its workload, which can increase the life of your heating system.
  
  

Protection

• Heating ducts work their way through some of the dampest and coldest parts of your home. When you take the time to insulate your heating ducts, you are adding an extra layer of protection to the already galvanized metal ducts. The layer of wrap added around the duct work to encase the insulation and allow it to retain heat also acts as a barrier to the damp and cold that exists in many basements. This will help prolong the life of your duct work and prevent any damage that could occur from years of exposure to the elements, such as holes in the ducts that could allow heat to escape.
  
  

Insulating Your Ducts

• There are two basic ways you can insulate your ducts: an insulating jacket and an insulation wrap covered by a protective barrier. The insulating jacket comes with the insulation already wrapped by a protective covering, and that can make installation easier if you decide to do it yourself. If you are going to hire a contractor, discuss your insulation options before deciding on any one method. Your contractor may be able to help you decide which method would work best given the way your duct work is hung and the potential difficulty in the installation.