The best ductwork design and professional installation keeps utility bills under control, provides optimal home comfort for occupants, fosters peak performance of a multitude of systems and helps enhance indoor air quality. That’s a tall order to meet, and requires early planning in conjunction with new home construction or remodeling, and clear communication with your HVAC professional.Ductwork design: trunk and branch Trunk and branch is a common design that is adaptable to most house layouts. The trunk-and-branch system uses a large primary supply trunk connected directly to the air handler’s supply plenum. Smaller run-outs and branch ducts connect to the trunk. With a trunk-and-branch system, air streams are easily balanced, which is a boon for comfortable heating and cooling.Another very important component of this style is that trunk and branches are easily installed within the conditioned spaces of a home, which, in the event of air leaks, is important for controlling heating and cooling bills, and better indoor air quality. The downside to the trunk-and-branch system is that there are more places where air leaks may develop, so quality duct sealing is imperative.Ductwork design: radial systemWhen you think of a radial ductwork system, you may picture spokes extending out from the hub of a wheel, and you would be exactly right. A radial ductwork system does not use a main supply trunk. Instead, each branch, or run-out, extends directly from a small supply plenum at the air handler, and extends outward to the air-supply outlets. This ductwork design maximizes airflow by using generally shorter duct runs.While the radial system is typically used for single-level homes, it may be modified to accommodate a number of home designs by using parallel duct runs, as opposed to the radial pattern. The radial system, or modified radial, like the trunk and branch, is conducive to installation in conditioned spaces, such as a hang ceiling.For more details and information about ductwork design and installation, contact Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning, Geothermal today. We proudly serve homeowners in Broken Arrow, and throughout the greater Tulsa area.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock