The One Mistake Almost Every Homeowner Makes with their HVAC Central System
Utility companies keep increasing the energy rates which in turn causes beleaguered homeowners to look for savings anyplace they can. Of course the first thing each homeowner usually does to try and keep the energy usage down is to close vents in rooms that are not being used and to close doors in rooms not being used. It just seems logical that this will save money.
The truth is, closing off vents in unused rooms in the home not only does not save money, it increases pressure on your system!
A 2003 study by the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, cited by the Consumer Energy Center, found that "register closing led to increased energy use."
A properly installed air conditioning system is “balanced.” 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.
When you shut some vents, you are messing up the balance of your AC system. Closing the vents will cause pressure to build up in your ducts and rather than direct that air into our home, the extra pressure will start to cause leaks in your ducts. The pressure has to go somewhere! At this point, you are paying to cool your attic or crawlspace!
Additionally, the buildup of pressure also means your air conditioner must work harder to distribute air throughout your home causing your system to run longer since it has to cool the same amount of space with less volume of cooled air.
Still looking for savings? Call your trusted HVAC professional to come inspect and audit your system. The audit of a HVAC system will look for low cost measures to enhance energy efficiency through optimizing appliances and equipment. An HVAC audit audit focuses on maintenance issues, or poor performance of a system. The main objective of the audit is to optimize a system for reduced energy consumption and to lower utility bills.
