Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning is committed to helping families stay comfortable and save money, which is why we try to clear up misconceptions about home comfort systems whenever we get the chance. One that we come across too often is the idea that shutting the vents will help you to save money on heating and air conditioning bills.
A look at your air vents
The supply air vents in your home are the final destination for the air travelling through your air ducts before it gets to the rooms of your home. Air is sucked through a return air grille, moving into the heater or the air conditioner before finally moving through a set of ducts, distributing evenly to the rooms of your home. The ducts branch off in different directions, and the air travels to its final endpoints, the vents around the home.
Designing and sizing an HVAC system
When your air conditioner or heater was first installed, the technician had to make some careful measurements to determine which size was right for your home’s needs. The layout of the ducts and the number of rooms to be heated or cooled played a huge part in these initial measurements. If the system were even a little too large or too small, the system could struggle to operate efficiently and potentially fail prematurely.
The problem with shutting vents
When you shut off the air vents around the home, you change the amount of space the air conditioner or heater is cooling or heating. Your system was designed for a certain amount of space, and taking this space away can force the system to short-cycle, wearing down the components.
An alternative: zone control
People shut the air vents because they are not occupying a certain room at that moment, or because they don’t want to spend money heating or cooling a room that is already comfortable. Installing a zone control system involves having dampers throughout the ductwork that open and close as you control the thermostat to let air in and out, without harming the efficiency or effectiveness of the AC.
Call Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning for more helpful information or to schedule service in Colorado Springs.
