Saturday, August 9, 2014

Will Closing Vents Save Money on Energy Bill?

Will Shutting Vents Cut Your Energy Bill?



Great Article!!!!

I have had numerous clients ask if just closing off a room or shutting the vents would help save money on the utility bill.

Having checked with the HVAC professionals, I have been told exactly what Al Clark's newsletter notes below.

I love Allison's statement:  "No matter which type of blower motor your HVAC system has,it's not a good thing when it has to push against a higher pressure(closed vent)."
The emphasis is mine!

So if you are out there closing off registers hoping to save money, you may just be wearing out your system instead.

Will Shutting Vents Cut Your Energy Bill?


Closing the air registers in rooms you don’t use seems like a good way to potentially save money, but doing so isn’t a good idea for several reasons, according to Alison Bailes, whoseEnergy Vanguard blog has some of the best building science and energy efficiency advice on the web.
Most vents have a little lever that lets you close the louvers behind the grille. When you block a vent, your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system’s blower motor will either have to work harder to push air through your home, or it may spin at a lower speed.
“No matter which type of blower motor your HVAC system has, it's not a good thing when it has to push against a higher pressure,” she explains.
If you haven’t had your ducts sealed, and most of us haven’t, putting more pressure into the air system will cause you to lose more air through leaks in the ducts, too.
And the more vents you close, the higher the pressure, the less efficient your system and the more leaking air you’ll have.
Low air flow can also cause condensation on your coils to freeze and can cause damage to your compressor.
If you have a furnace, low air flow can be dangerous, Bailes warns. “Low air flow in a furnace can get the heat exchanger hot enough to cause cracks. Those cracks then allow exhaust gases to mix with your conditioned air. When that happens, your duct system can become a poison distribution system as it could be sending carbon monoxide into your home.”
Sealing your air ducts and other energy improvements not only cut your electric bill, they can help your home stand apart from the competition when you decide to sell. I can include information about your home’s energy efficiency upgrades in your home’s sales listing. Contact me if you’d like to hear more about that.

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