What to Know About Closing Air Vents in Your Home

It may be tempting to close some air vents in your home to save energy on heating and cooling or to even out comfort, but in reality, it’s seldom a good idea. While there are caveats, it’s better to achieve energy savings with your HVAC system without risking the consequences of closing off rooms with a forced-air HVAC system.

Why it’s a Dubious Practice

When your HVAC system was installed, the builder or HVAC contractor took into account the cubic footage of your home and its energy efficiency to select the best size for your heating and cooling system. Each of these systems requires a certain amount of air flowing through it to maintain its optimal efficiency and durability. When you close off rooms and vents, it alters the supply of air going in and out of the system and puts stress on the air handler and the ductwork.

It is possible to close off a room, as long as it’s located far from the air handler and is small. Otherwise, the extra air pressure that goes through the system can cause mechanical problems in the air handler and may cause cracks or leaks in the ductwork. The closed-off room will also develop higher air pressure than the rest of the home, which may pull outdoor air into your home from rooms nearby, increasing the heating and cooling load, driving up energy costs.

Alternatives

Instead of risking damage to your HVAC system by closing air vents, consider one of these viable options:

• Air balancing. HVAC professionals can evaluate the air distribution through your home’s ductwork and adjust imbalances that will increase comfort.
• Home zoning. Zoning systems use mechanical ductwork dampers to control the flow of conditioned air throughout your home. Each zone has its own thermostat that connects to a central control panel. Zoning systems are an energy saving upgrade that solves challenges associated with unused areas, unequal temperature distributions and multi-story or rambling single-story homes.

For more information about avoiding closed air vents, contact CCAC, providing trusted HVAC services for homeowners in the Corpus Christi area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air vents and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.

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