Heating and cooling Cincinnati homes can be a burden on your budget. Homeowners often try to find ways to reduce these costs. One common method is to close the vents in rooms that are not being used. A thorough review of this practice indicates that this can actually raise the cost of heating and cooling your home.

What Happens When Vents Are Closed?

The rooms in your home contain both supply and return vents. When you close the supply vent and the room’s door, a vacuum is created. This can cause the room to draw in cool air from the outside of the home or through any cracks in the ceiling, wall or floor. In addition, the closed vent does not completely block the air in the ductwork. The conditioned air will continue to try to get out, either through holes in the ductwork or by going back down the ductwork. You are still paying to heat or cool the air, but you don’t get to experience any of the benefits.

Additionally, you can actually harm the system if a large number of vents are closed. New HVAC systems are sized to deliver the appropriate amount of air to your home. If rooms are completely closed off, the system will work harder to push air throughout the home thereby making the system less efficient. Also, during cold weather, the ductwork can freeze in the closed off areas which makes the system work harder and shortens its useful life.

How Should I Address My Concerns?

If there are rooms in your home that do not need to be heated or cooled, contact a qualified HVAC technician. A qualified technician can make changes to your ductwork as well as make adjustments to your furnace to achieve optimal home comfort.

To learn how we can help reduce the costs of heating and cooling Cincinnati homes, contact us at JonLe Heating & Cooling. We work to address the needs of homeowners in the greater Cincinnati area.

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