Around 20 percent of air moving through a duct system is lost because of leaks, holes or poorly connected ducts, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Losing air means that your system has to work overtime to keep your house at the desired temperature, which increases your electricity bills.

While a leaking duct isn’t good (there are several safety issues that accompany it), it does present an opportunity for you to save energy and money.

How To Spot Inefficient Ductwork

First, you need to identify whether you have any leaks or poor connections. According to the ENERGY STAR website, these are some ways to identify if your ducts are losing air.

• Some rooms are difficult to heat or cool
• Some rooms constantly seem stuffy
• You have high summer and winter electricity bills compared to houses of similar size
• Your ducts are located in an attic, crawlspace or the garage
• Your ducts are tangled or kinked

How To Seal Ducts

Sealing ducts is fairly simple. You’ll first want to look for gaps at places where vents meet floors, walls or ceilings. Once you’ve identified the leaks, clean off the joints to remove dust and other debris.

If you have duct tape on any part of your system, you’ll want to remove it.  Duct tape actually breaks down over time, leaving your seams exposed.

After clearing your joints, you’ll paint mastic, a gummy substance, over the joint. Try to find a water-based mastic if you can because it releases fewer fumes. Make sure there is an even coating of mastic over the joint, and lightly use the paintbrush to get the mastic into each nook and cranny. HGTV Remodels recommends at least a 1/2-inch overlap around any joint, crack, or hole in the duct.

Once you’re done with the mastic, you’ll seal the joint with UL 181-rated tape. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratory, a global, independent safety science company. You’ll want to use tape with a UL 181 rating because it is more flexible, more adhesive and generally lasts longer. Make sure when you purchase UL 181-rated tape that it’s designed for use with mastic.

Once you’ve applied mastic and the UL 181-rated tape, you’re done.

If you’re more of a visual person, HGTV Remodels has a great three-minute video that we’ve included below. It discusses why you need properly sealed ducts as well as the best ways to go about this.

In the fall of 2010 Arlington decided to revive the initiative, creating an internal board of city staffers and starting a search for citizens to sit on the board of the new nonprofit organization Keep Arlington Beautiful.

Gary Packan and Jennifer Chadwell in the parks and rec department worked through 2011 to get the city’s program back in good standing with Keep Texas Beautiful, making Keep Arlington Beautiful a gold-star affiliate, which is the highest rating for affiliates.

Then, on March 12, Arlington’s parks and recreation department officially approved the citizen-led board of Keep Arlington Beautiful (KAB) to kick off the revitalized initiative.

What Keep Arlington Beautiful does

“Keep Arlington Beautiful serves to support community initiatives that engage residents, business members and visitors alike by involving them in projects designed to enhance Arlington’s beauty, culture and commitment to the environment,” said Chadwell.

There are three main aspects of KAB with respective committees dedicated to each:

1. Programs – volunteering, projects, beautification, etc.
2. Development – applying for grants, fundraising, sponsorships, etc.
3. Public awareness – educating citizens, gaining recognition for work, etc.

Some of the events that the organization participates in are the Great American Cleanup, Don’t Mess with Texas, Ecofest, Trinity Trash Bash and UTA’s Big Event.

Since traditional revenue streams are no longer enough to sustain current urban environments, KAB will be a great resource to the city’s parks and recreation department in creating and maintaining an attractive city.

Part of Packan and Chadwell’s work in revitalizing KAB involved applying for awards and grants. The work paid off because KAB recently won the 2012 Governor’s Community Achievement Award from Keep Texas Beautiful, which means that the city will receive a $310,000 grant for TXDOT property enhancements.

With the help of the 35-member KAB board, Arlington hopes to continue receiving additional funding like the Governor’s Award.

How Texas Power supports Keep Arlington Beautiful

Texas Power vice president David Chase is representing the electricity company on KAB’s board, which held its first meeting April 16.

Why did the company decide to get involved in the initiative?

“It definitely has to do with being a good neighbor,” said Chase, who has a personal investment in the program since he is also a resident of Arlington. “We want to make sure we’re doing what we can from a corporate responsibility standpoint.”

How you can help

You don’t have to live in Arlington to help. Keep Texas Beautiful has more than 360 affiliate community programs, so it’s likely that you live close to one. Check out this link to see if your city or county has an affiliate program.

Anyone wishing to volunteer for an event in Arlington or wanting more information about KAB can contact Jennifer Chadwell by emailing KAB@arlingtontx.gov or leaving a comment on the KAB Facebook page.

Links

• Keep Arlington Beautiful Website
• Keep Arlington Beautiful Facebook Page
• Keep Texas Beautiful Affiliates

Click on the infographic to enlarge it.

Let’s start with explaining the acronyms and major players in the infographic above.

PUC: Not pictured in the infographic but nonetheless important is the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC). The government agency was created in 1975 to regulate Texas’ electric and telecommunication utilities and helps resolve customer complaints. Part of the PUC’s mission is to foster competition and to protect consumers.

ERCOT: ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, is responsible for managing the electric flow to about 23 million Texans, which is about 85 percent of the state’s electricity. It’s a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation that’s subject to oversight by the PUC and Texas Legislature.

TDSP: TDSP stands for transmission and distribution service provider. Five of the TDSPs in Texas are Centerpoint, TNMP, Nueces, Oncor and AEP.

The TDSPs maintain the wires and the poles that are used to transport the electricity to your home and office. To keep things fair, the PUC regulates the TDSPs by setting the transmission and distribution rates and ensuring that all customers and REPs are treated the same.

Your TDSP is determined by your geographic location and will be the same regardless of your retail electricity provider, which we explain next.

REP: Your REP is your retail electricity provider like Texas Power. The majority of Texans have the power to choose their electricity provider, which is responsible for customer service and billing.

The Electricity Delivery Process

The following chronicles what it takes for electricity to travel from the power generator to your doorstep.

1. The REP, Texas Power, buys power from the generator.
2. The TDSP, such as Oncor, sends power to you, the customer.
3. The TDSP charges the REP, Texas Power, for distribution.
4. The REP invoices you, the customer, for the power and distribution.

The Electricity Invoicing Process

This is the part with which you’re probably most familiar.

1. First the TDSP delivers power to you, the customer.
2. Then, the TDSP reads your meter.
3. The TDSP sends the meter read to ERCOT.
4. ERCOT sends the meter read to the retail electricity provider.
5. The REP delivers the invoice to you, the customer.
6. Then, you pay your bill to the REP.

Hopefully this cleared up any questions you had about how electricity gets delivered to you and defined the roles of the major players in the Texas electricity industry.

Continuing his role overseeing the daily operation of the company, Chase will have increased accountability for the overall direction of the organization – both individually and as it pertains to the Tristar family of companies.

Bart Simmons, Texas Power’s CEO, is anticipating Chase’s expanded position within the organization. “I appreciate David’s leadership over the past several years and look forward to his role as vice president in leading us in our vision for Texas Power in the future,” Simmons said.

Chase, whose hometown is west of Fort Worth in Aledo, started working for the company in 2007, making consistent, steady improvements in the operational efficiencies and effectiveness of Texas Power during his tenure as general manager. Since 2009, Texas Power has decreased general and administrative costs by 37 percent and increased revenues by 39 percent.

Chase has been an impactful advocate for the organization, educating Texans about their power to choose electricity providers and emphasizing the two things that set Texas Power apart: competitive pricing and customer-first service.

When explaining Texas Power’s commitment to serve customers, Chase will quote Maya Angelou to illustrate the company’s approach: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Customers and employees alike can expect Chase to continue his mantra of simplicity and top-notch service to both internal and external customers.

“I am excited and honored at the opportunity to serve as vice president,” Chase said. “Our organization is made up of excellent people, and it is my privilege to serve and lead.”

You can find the article here.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2011/08/26/texas-power-chips-away-at-retail-market.html

http://www.energychoicematters.com/stories/20110726b.html

http://www.arlingtontx.gov/articles/2011/articles_0811_11.html

http://www.arlingtontx.gov/articles/2011/articles_0111_13.html

To view the Ft. Worth Star Telegram article click here. Also be sure to check out another great Star-Telegram resource via the Watchdog Nation as Dave Lieber guides you through the unbiased steps to finding the right electricity offer for you and your family.