The Bottom Line: Why Duct Sealing Pays Off for Commercial Buildings
HVAC systems in commercial buildings drive a major share of total energy use and operating costs. If its duct system has significant leakage, the facility ends up paying for conditioning that never reaches the spaces it is meant to serve. Most facility teams don’t realize how significant those leaks are or how easily they can affect overall performance and hike up utility bills. In many regions, unchecked leakage can also lead to compliance issues or potential fines tied to energy or ventilation requirements. Understanding and addressing this loss is one of the simplest ways to strengthen performance and control operating expenses across any type of facility.
What Duct Leakage Really Costs
Duct leakage is the loss of conditioned air through gaps, seams, and connections in a building’s duct system, and it is far more common than most people realize. Even newly installed ductwork can have meaningful leakage because standard construction practices rarely achieve a tight seal across the entire system. In many commercial buildings, this loss reaches levels that drive up energy use, increase equipment workload, and create uneven airflow long before the facility realizes a problem exists.
As that lost air adds up, the HVAC system works harder to compensate. Fans run longer to maintain airflow, and heating and cooling equipment run more often, gradually increasing wear across the equipment. This unnecessary workload raises utility costs, shortens the life of expensive components, and increases the chance of falling out of compliance with regional energy requirements that can result in fines. Many facilities absorb these costs without ever identifying the source.
Duct leakage also disrupts how air moves through the building. Some areas receive more air than they need while others never receive enough, which makes temperature control unpredictable and increases the number of issues facility teams have to manage. These imbalances can affect comfort, ventilation, air quality, and basic building performance, yet they are often traced back to a simple problem in the duct system that has gone unnoticed.
Why Traditional Sealing Isn’t Enough
Traditional duct sealing depends on sticky mastic or tape applied from the outside of the duct system. These products only reach the sections crews can physically access, which leaves most of the system untouched in a commercial building. Even in the areas they can reach, the work is slow and labor intensive, and the results vary based on how much time a crew can spend tracking down individual leaks. This approach can improve parts of the system, but it rarely delivers a complete seal, especially in buildings with long duct runs and limited access.
These limitations matter because commercial duct systems cover long distances and serve complex spaces. When only part of the system can be sealed by hand, the facility continues losing conditioned air in the areas crews cannot reach. That partial improvement makes it harder to capture real energy savings or meet regional performance requirements, which can increase the risk of fines. In the end, teams invest time and money without getting the full results they expect.
Traditional methods improve what crews can reach, but the larger issue remains. Addressing the full system calls for a new solution.
A Proven Way to Seal the Entire System
Reaching the entire duct system requires a method that works from the inside rather than relying on surface access. A complete seal depends on addressing the hidden sections of ductwork where most of the leakage lives, and doing it in a way that does not slow down operations or add unnecessary labor. That is where Aeroseal comes in.
Aeroseal seals the duct system from the inside by pressurizing the ducts and using a nontoxic, water-based sealant that is carried to the leaks by airflow. The sealant collects along the edges of each opening until the gap is closed, which allows the process to reach hidden sections of ductwork that crews cannot access by hand. Throughout the application, leakage is measured in real time, giving facility teams clear verification of the results before the work is finished.
To see the Aeroseal process in action, watch our short demonstration here.
Because the process works from the inside, it reaches the full length of the duct system without requiring demolition or ceiling removal. This makes it possible to seal large commercial systems quickly and with minimal disruption to daily operations. Facility teams can stay focused on their priorities while the sealing work happens in the background, and the results are verified as soon as the application is complete.
The ability to measure leakage throughout the process also gives the work a level of transparency that traditional methods cannot match. Facility teams see the reduction as it happens and receive a seal report at the end that documents the final leakage numbers and the improvements achieved. This verification helps them understand the impact immediately and gives them a record they can use for internal reporting, budget planning, or meeting regional performance requirements.
The Financial Impact
The moment duct leakage is eliminated, a commercial building stops wasting much of the energy it never intended to spend. Air that once slipped out of the system now reaches the spaces it is meant to serve, and the HVAC system no longer has to push harder to make up for the loss. This shift reduces fan demand, lowers energy use, and turns wasted airflow into day-to-day savings that continue to build over time. For many facilities, sealing the duct system becomes one of the fastest ways to strengthen operating margins without changing equipment or disrupting normal operations.
Staying ahead of regional energy and ventilation requirements is another part of the financial impact. Many standards now include performance thresholds tied to duct leakage, airflow, or overall energy use, and falling short can lead to unexpected costs or fines. Cities such as New York and Boston enforce these expectations through programs like Local Law 97 and BERDO, and broader standards such as the International Energy Conservation Code and ASHRAE 90.1 place similar pressure on commercial buildings. Sealing the full system gives facilities a clearer path to meeting these requirements without replacing equipment or taking on major capital projects.
The savings from reduced leakage often lead to payback periods that compare well with other efficiency upgrades. Because the improvement comes from recovering air the facility is already paying to condition, the impact begins as soon as the leakage is reduced. Many commercial buildings see lower fan energy and overall HVAC demand after sealing work is complete, and those reductions continue over time because the improvement is tied to a permanent decrease in air loss rather than a change in equipment or operating strategy.
These savings are not limited to one type of facility. Schools, hospitals, offices, laboratories, and other large buildings all depend on duct systems that move air across long distances and through complex layouts. When leakage is reduced across the full system, each of these environments benefits from lower energy use, steadier airflow, and more predictable HVAC performance. For facilities working with tight budgets or long operating hours, these gains can support both short-term cost control and long-term planning.
When the entire duct system is sealed and performance becomes more consistent, facilities gain a clearer view of their actual HVAC needs. This helps teams plan maintenance more effectively, manage energy budgets with greater confidence, and make informed decisions about future improvements. It also supports compliance with regional performance requirements, which reduces the risk of fines tied to energy use or emissions targets. The financial benefits come from stopping losses that were already built into daily operation, and many organizations find that sealing work becomes a reliable foundation for meeting both operational and sustainability goals.
Learn More About the Impact of Sealing
Sealing the duct system gives commercial buildings a practical way to reduce energy waste, improve airflow, and meet performance requirements without major disruption. Aeroseal makes this possible by reaching the full length of the duct system from the inside and giving facility teams verified results as soon as the work is complete.
For a deeper look at how duct leakage affects commercial buildings, along with industry-specific guidance and data, download our full commercial e-book.
If you have questions or want to explore what this could mean for your facility, connect with us. Our team is ready to help.
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