Should You Close AC Vents in Unused Rooms?

If you’re like many homeowners, you’re always on the lookout for ways to save money. Given how much cooling costs, that’s a natural place to start. Inevitably, that leads to the discovery of the advice to close AC vents in rooms you’re not using. On the surface, shutting these vents seems logical. However, closing vents in unused rooms usually won’t save you money. Instead, it may actually increase your overall costs. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Happens When You Close HVAC Vents

The first thing that you should know is that fully or partially closing one or two vents in your home is just fine to do. It’s a way to adjust temperatures from room to room to match the preferences of the people using them. However, closing too many vents can cause unintended side effects.

Increased Static Pressure

Your HVAC ductwork should be large enough to carry the volume of air pushed out by your AC with minimal resistance. At the time of your ductwork and HVAC installation, the system’s designers should have ensured that. But their calculations depended on your ductwork staying mostly leak-free and having all the vents open.

When you close too many vents, you increase the static pressure in your ductwork. That’s the force the air your AC outputs exerts on the duct walls. As that force rises, so does friction in your ductwork. That friction makes your AC work harder to push air through your ducts. The duct pressure problems quickly eat up any money you’d have saved by closing vents.

Excess Blower Wear and Tear

Increased static pressure doesn’t just make your AC less efficient. It also creates unnecessary wear and tear on your system’s blower motor. Put simply, the extra pressure makes it much more difficult for the blower motor to move air. As a result, you may notice AC airflow problems. You can also expect premature blower motor failures and higher repair costs.

Indoor Humidity Problems

Another possible consequence of closing unused room vents is that you could compromise your AC’s ability to dehumidify your home. Dehumidification is a consequence of the refrigeration process your AC uses to cool the air. Removing excess humidity also prevents you from feeling hotter than the air temperature suggests.

When you close too many vents, you prevent your AC from displacing humid air with the dehumidified air coming from the vents. That, in turn, keeps humid air from returning to your AC for dehumidification. If parts of your home feel damp and sticky after you’ve closed vents, this is likely why.

Temperature Imbalances

The final consequence of closing vents in unused rooms is that your home may develop temperature imbalances. Central ACs depend on unimpeded airflow from vents and an unobstructed air path into the return air duct. Without both, your AC can’t maintain even air temperatures throughout your home. If the imbalance raises the ambient temperature around your thermostat, your AC will run longer than it should.

Reducing Cooling Costs Without Closing Vents

If you’re looking for ways to cut your cooling costs without closing unused room vents, there are several options. First, have a professional maintain your AC. A maintenance visit includes an inspection, coil cleaning, refrigerant check, and lubrication of moving parts. Together, those things improve or preserve your AC’s cooling efficiency. If the technician indicates that your AC needs a new air filter, follow their advice. Remember that your AC will need a new air filter approximately every three months.

You can also install ceiling fans to reduce your reliance on your central AC. If you want to restrict airflow to unused rooms, you might consider a zoning system. One of our HVAC experts can install one and rebalance your ducts so that it will work without creating static pressure problems. They can also conduct a ductwork evaluation to let you know whether your ducts have any issues that are currently harming cooling efficiency.

There’s another alternative that you might want to consider. If most of your house remains unoccupied most of the time, you may want a more targeted cooling solution. If you spend most of your time in one or two rooms, you could install a ductless mini-split. Then, you could cool those spaces to your liking while leaving your central AC thermostat at a higher temperature.

Efficient Cooling, Lower Costs

If you’re ready to consider some of the money-saving approaches discussed here, The Green Air Group is the AC service to call. We specialize in all things HVAC in Freeport, FL, so we can help you choose a cooling solution that fits your precise needs. Whether you need a trustworthy maintenance provider or you want to upgrade your AC, we’re the place to turn.

For all your AC service needs in Freeport, FL, contact our team at The Green Air Group today.