It may seem like a no-brainer that closing vents would be a simple way to reduce energy use and costs. You’ll save on HVAC costs if you seal up the ducts leading to unoccupied spaces. Unfortunately, you can’t make much headway with this reasoning. Closing vents may seem like a good way to save money, but it might have the opposite effect.
What Happens When You Close an Air Vent?
Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system draws air out of the home through the return ducts and pumps it back in through the supply ducts. Blocking off a supply vent only redirects the airflow to another system part.
In turn, this raises the internal pressure of your vents. Increased pressure causes even more air to escape via cracks or holes in the air ducts, greatly increasing the leakage problem. It could make the leaks worse, potentially making them larger.
How Closing Air Vents Can Harm Your System
Pressure buildup inside your system because of blocked vents might also cause permanent damage. The performance of your HVAC system can be severely impacted by leaks that originate or worsen within the ductwork. Cracks in your heat exchanger from the added pressure can also lead to a CO leak in your home, carbon monoxide poisoning, illness, and death are all possible outcomes.
Tips to Save Energy
• You shouldn’t have the thermostat set too low for the summer or too high for the winter. Maintain a temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
• Set up programmable controls, such as thermostats, to automatically adjust the temperature at predetermined times of the day. Set the thermostat lower at night and have it climb before you get up.
• You may reduce your HVAC energy consumption and increase comfort by upgrading your home’s insulation.
Conclusion
Have Aire One Heating and Cooling, servicing Southern Ontario regularly test and service your cooling system to ensure it is well-maintained and operating efficiently. If you are in Toronto & GTA, we are ready to serve you. For more information on our energy-saving products and services, contact us today.