Central Air Conditioning Closing Vents

The belief is that closing a vent will simply push the air onward to other parts of the home improving energy efficiency.

Central air conditioning closing vents.

Closed vents increase pressure. In a 2003 study the lawrence berkeley national laboratory discovered that register closing led to increased energy use. So when you shut some vents you are messing up the balance of your ac system. But this is an average.

That means you re paying 20 to 30 more than you should on your utility bills. Leaking or burst ductwork. As it turns out closing air vents in a home with a modern central heating and air conditioning system does little to save energy. Through small openings joints cracks and around closed windows and doors through a process called infiltration.

Closing ac vents increases energy bills if you close your ac vents you actually increase the amount of conditioned air that gets wasted via duct leaks. Particularly if the registers are not sealed to the drywall opening. Your furnace or a c runs longer. The only real difference with closing vent registers vs balancing dampers is the increased potential for losing conditioned air to an unconditioned space by closing vent registers.

Air pressure inside supply ducts increases in proportion to the number of vents closed and pushes still greater amounts of conditioned air out of existing leaks. When you close vents pressure builds up in your ducts. But when you close a vent yes even just a few it increases the pressure inside the ducts. The average home loses 20 30 of the air blowing through it thanks to air duct leaks according to energy star.

That means the ductwork was sized so that amount of air going into your air conditioning system equals the volume of air going out of your system. Many homes lose even more. Homeowners typically close vents in an attempt to redirect air away from unused spaces. The ideal system also has low duct leakage.

Environmental protection agency estimates that most homeowners lose 20 percent of the cool air they re paying for right through their home s ducts. In a well designed system the blower moves the air against a pressure that s no greater than the maximum specified by the manufacturer typically 0 5 iwc. Closing vents worsens that leakage problem because the extra pressure forces moreair out of those leaks. Before closing any vents in your home.

Closing air vents is a popular strategy for adjusting air flow in the home but it s not necessarily a good one. The typical system however is far from ideal. You see your ac pushes out cool conditioned air through your ductwork and into your home. Ensure that your ducts are properly sealed and connected.