When a room is unused the majority of the time, often the homeowner may go into that room and manually close the air vents to stop the conditioned air from entering the unused areas. This may seem like a good strategy to help conserve the conditioned air. However, where it may seem like a sensible idea, it is actually counterproductive. Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning will share how this efficiency concept doesn’t actually help save and can even cause more costly problems.
Closing Vents Causes an Imbalance of Forced Air Heating System
When closing the air vents in unused rooms or areas of the home, it may make sense to cut off the air flow into that room to help cool down other areas more efficiently. This isn’t an unreasonable idea. To many people there is no reason to send air into an unused room so why spend the resources to cool it? Unfortunately that’s not how HVAC systems are designed. The HVAC system which cools or heats the home has its own respiratory system much like the human body in order for the entire system to properly function we need good air flow. An HVAC system is calibrated and designed to have air flow throughout the entire home. When an air vent is closed to areas inside the home, the air flow becomes restricted. This has a choking effect on the HVAC system.
Closed Air Vents Makes HVAC System Work Harder
When the air flow becomes restricted, it puts additional strain on the air conditioner and heating system, depending on the season. In the beginning the strain due to a closed vent will be minor and only result in a slightly higher power bill. After extended periods of time, the restriction can begin to cause premature wear on the various components of the HVAC system. Often the blower motor is one of the first components to break down. When a vent is closed it is common for the air ducts to develop leaks, due to the increased pressure of the air that is trying to flow out of the vent. This can cause the air duct to break at the seams which results in an air leak. Much of the air will leak out and often in the attic space rather than inside the home. Essentially, you never want to close off any of the air vents in the home even in unused rooms.
2 Zone HVAC System
There is a solution if you want to conserve more energy and not waste cool or heating power to unused areas of the home. What may be needed is a zone HVAC system. A zone system provides more control where the cool air flows safely throughout the home. A zone system is a more sophisticated thermostat that can assign different temperatures to different parts of the home. Zone systems can help save energy and reduce the amount of work your air conditioner or HVAC system uses to cool or heat the home.
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If you’re looking for better ways to manage your home or business energy consumption, contact the professionals. Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning offers HVAC services as well as energy management and more. Contact Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning and schedule our services today.