Winter often brings changes in how your HVAC system sounds, runs, or feels. You might notice longer run times, new noises, or rooms that don’t seem to warm evenly. For many homeowners, these changes immediately raise concern that something is wrong. The reality is that HVAC systems behave differently in winter, and many changes are completely normal. Cold weather affects airflow, materials, and runtime patterns in ways that don’t occur during warmer months.

Here’s a not-so-fun fact: the average home loses 20–30% of conditioned air through leaky ductwork. Translation? You’re paying to cool your attic, your crawlspace, and possibly your neighbor’s attic too. Your ducts are the hidden highways of your HVAC system, quietly moving air from point A (your unit) to point B (your living room). But when they spring a leak, those highways turn into toll roads you’re footing the bill for. So how do you know if your ductwork is betraying y