Should I close AC vents in unused rooms of my house?

You may have heard the narrative that you can save money on cooling costs by shutting the air conditioner vents in room that aren’t be used or are closed off. Let’s take a quick moment to look at what is really happening with your system. The truth of this story is that your air conditioner’s efficiency can decrease dramatically simply by closing a few vents. Leaving all air vents open actually uses less energy than closing a few vents in your home. If an air conditioning system is designed correctly, it has been sized according to the flow requirements of the entire home. When you start closing vents in unused rooms, you make the duct system more restrictive. The pressure increases, and that means your system will run harder trying to keep air flow normal. By closing off vents you can create a pressure imbalance within the system that will basically reduce the effectiveness of your cooling system. Closing vents will also increase pressure within your ac ductwork and can cause leakage. When pressure builds up in the ducts, your air conditioner has to work harder to distribute air throughout the parts of the home that are not closed off. Your air conditioner will also run longer since it has to cool the same amount of space with less volume of cooled air. Some things that can happen if air conditioning vents are closed: – Compressor may prematurely malfunction – Lower air flow and increased energy use – AC coil may freeze up – Increased duct leakage – Condensation and mold growth in rooms with closed vents Closing vents won’t save you money and may even harm your system! If you feel that your energy bills are too high, we invite you to call Spencer Air Conditioning and Heating at 972-446-COOL (2665). We’ll analyze your system to make sure you’re getting the most out of your energy dollar.