Will You Save Money by Closing Vents to Unused Rooms?
Here in the Greater St. Louis area, we can be hit with warm summers and cold winters. Families think that they can close the vents in their unused rooms of the house to save some money on their energy bill. It seems counter-intuitive, but this practice does not save any money and it can lead to costly HVAC system repairs.
Why Closing Vents to Unused Rooms Does Not Save Money
The way a modern HVAC system works is by keeping an optimal air pressure running in the entire system. When one closes off air ducts, it makes the system have abnormally high air pressure. This makes the system strain. Your comfort system does not use less energy when ducts are closed. It will try to send the same cooling or heating throughout the system, exactly as it was designed to do.
So, closing vents creates abnormally high air pressure in the system. It does not decrease the throughput of the system. Your energy bill will stay the same if you close some air vents.
How Closing Too Many Vents Can Harm Your HVAC System
Potentially, this scenario can get worse. This high air pressure can cause damage as your system tries to compensate for the unnatural problem that closed vents has created.
Most people have a PSC blower in their HVAC system. This type of blower reduces the air output when there is too much pressure in the system. In the case of an air conditioner, the lower blower output of air can make your evaporator cooling coil freeze up. This can lead to compressor damage.
Also, your heater can be damaged by the PSC blower not keeping the heat exchanger cool. If the heat exchanger overheats, it can crack.
As you can see, closing the vents in your HVAC system will not save you any money because your system’s throughput will remain the same. Closing vents could actually lead to costly repair bills if you close too many vents.
Contact the Heating Professionals
If you have any questions about your HVAC system, call BELOMAN in Belleville, IL. We work hard to be your one-stop source for heating and air conditioning service in the Greater St. Louis area. Our crew does heating and cooling service, maintenance, and repair.
