Does Closing Vents in Unused Rooms Save Money?

Heating and cooling costs can be expensive, especially in the depths of winter or summer. People naturally believe that closing vents to unused rooms will save them money on their heating or air conditioning bills. This is actually not so and can lead to costly problems if you decide to close too many vents.

Why Closing Vents to Unused Rooms Does Not Save Money

Modern HVAC systems – whether they be furnaces, air conditioners, or heat pumps – are all designed to have a certain air pressure that is optimal. Closing air ducts throw off the optimal system air pressure. When the air pressure in the system is higher than normal, the system will strain against the abnormal air pressure. The system will not use less energy in response and send less pressure and cool or warm air through the system.

Thus, closing the vents just creates a situation of abnormally high air pressure in the system. It does not lower the output of the system, so you will still pay the same amount of money on your bill for energy.

How Closing Too Many Vents Can Harm Your HVAC System

Sadly, closing vents in unused rooms can cause your HVAC system to do some maladaptive things in order to deal with the situation of too much air pressure.

Most homeowners have HVAC systems with a PSC blower. When these types of blowers detect too much pressure in the system, they lower their output. This lower output of air can damage your evaporator cooling coil in your air conditioning unit by turning it into a block of ice. When this happens, you could end up with a damaged compressor unit.

The same is true for a heating system that has a PSC blower. When there is abnormally low air output from the blower, it can overheat or crack the heat exchanger.

Either way, not only is closing a vent in your HVAC system not going to save you any money, it might cause you costly damage to your heating or cooling system.

Contact the Heating Professionals

When you have questions about your HVAC system, contact All Temp Co., Inc Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing, & Electrical. We are Harrisburg’s most trusted heating and air conditioning company. We are a Carrier Factory Authorized dealer, and we can work on all makes and models of heating and cooling units. All of our technicians are NATE-certified as well.

We perform heating and air conditioning tune-ups, servicing and repair. We also do heat pump and air conditioning installations as well as energy audits. Call us today for your annual comfort system maintenance or with any other HVAC servicing need or question you may have.