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CLOSING VENTS

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LOWER YOUR ENERGY BILLS

There’s some old, bad advice out there that says you should close off your air conditioning vents in unused rooms. This, they say, will help you by only cooling the rooms in your home that you actually use.
While this sounds good in theory, it can actually have the opposite effect—and worse.

Closing vents, at best, increase energy consumption and, at worst, leads to the premature breakdown of your AC.

Let’s look at 3 reasons why this happens.

Reason #1: Closing vents restrict airflow

When your air conditioner was installed (assuming it was installed correctly) its airflow was “balanced”. That means the installers made sure your air conditioner has enough air flowing in and out of it to properly cool your home.

Closing vents disrupt this balance and create pressure in your system, which causes your air conditioner to work harder. This can increase your energy bills and even lead to the premature breakdown of your AC if you close too many vents.

Reason #2: Your air ducts make it worse

In addition, this increased pressure places strain on your air ducts. And since many homes’ air ducts are already leaking (according to Energystar.gov), the increased pressure causes the ducts to leak even more.

So the air you thought you were saving is actually going into your attic or crawlspace.

Reason #3: Your interior walls aren’t insulated

Another reason to consider not closing your vents is that your interior walls aren’t insulated.

Here’s why that’s a big deal.

Let’s say you close off the vents in 2 rooms. They’ll get warmer since there’s now no AC running to them. That heat will transfer into the nearby rooms through the un-insulated walls and under the door. So now your air conditioner has to run longer and harder to keep the other parts of your home cool.

3D Air Services, LLC serves Birmingham, Alabaster, & surrounding areas, Hoover, Pelham, Alabaster, Calera, and everywhere in between. Contact us for all your HVAC needs.

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