‘They did a good job’
Posted in Energy conservation, Heating and cooling on June 6th, 2013 by Susan – Be the first to commentCustomers praising free duct sealing service
Contractors working for Chelan County PUD to inspect and seal ductwork in manufactured homes are winning friends and influencing people.
Take Ken and Warrene Graves, for example. The Graveses, who are retired, were in Arizona this past winter when they noticed the electric bills for their Wenatchee residence were much higher than usual. The Graves were sure they couldn’t be using that much electricity in their manufactured home. After all, they weren’t even there.
But they weren’t completely certain that something was amiss until they returned in the spring. During the hot spell in early May, the couple turned on their air conditioning and got nothing but a little warm air.

The Graveses' manufactured home: All ducts now are sealed, solving the couple's heating and cooling problems.
Ken contacted Mark Wiser, senior conservation adviser at Chelan PUD, who asked contractor e-Star Northwest to take a look. Wiser suspected problems in the ducts, and he was right.
The contractor was in Chelan at the time, but agreed to stop by around 4 p.m., Ken said. The two young men on the e-Star crew worked until 7:30 p.m., performing diagnostic pressure tests, sealing leaky seams with water-soluble mastic, and replacing worn and missing sections of duct. When they were done, Ken turned both the air conditioning and heat on to test it and “it worked beautifully,” he said.
Added Warrene, “They were very efficient and hard-working. They did a good job.”
The Graveses have been in their homes for 17 years but had never had the ducts inspected. “I’m sure glad we did because it was a mess,” Ken said.
“They were nice, professional young men. I called (their boss) and told him they deserve a pat on the back because they did such a good job.”
Other customers have contacted the PUD to share similar stories about how duct sealing adds to the comfort of their homes and saves on electric bills. And here’s the real kicker: It’s free.
Inspection and sealing is available to all PUD customers with manufactured homes. At no charge. To make an appointment with e-Star call (509) 860-5045.




Heating and cooling no longer make up the majority of home energy use