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Heating or cooling a home can require you to spend a substantial amount of money on your monthly energy bills. These expenditures are usually at their highest during the warm summer months and cold winter months, which will likely cause you to look for ways to cut costs wherever it’s possible to do so. One potential method of saving money that many homeowners consider from time to time is closing the vents in unused rooms in order to prevent air from being sent into these vacant spaces. Before you decide to try this method, you should know more about whether it actually works.

Promoting Maximum Efficiency

Although it’s understandable to think that closing vents in unused rooms will reduce energy consumption, this approach won’t actually save you money on your monthly energy bills. While closing vents in these rooms may keep air from entering them, it’s important to understand that the air in your ducts will instead be forced into other rooms around your home. The same amount of air will be filtered and circulated, but the system will work harder to do it. Leaving the vents open is the best thing to do for your equipment. Doing so ensures that your unit remains efficient.

Possible Consequences of Closing Room Vents

Your system was intended to accommodate a particular area. Reducing the amount of square footage to be heated or cooled causes a furnace or air conditioner to cycle on and off more frequently. This, in turn, creates excessive wear and tear, which could lead to earlier repairs or replacement.

Rather than saving your money, closing the vents in your unused rooms can bring about a variety of negative consequences. The air pressure throughout your duct system will increase, which can lead to:

  • Higher energy use
  • A malfunctioning compressor
  • Increased leaks through the air ducts
  • A buildup of condensation and eventual mold growth

Call Campbell & Company today to learn more about the heating and cooling services we offer in Harrisburg and all around Central Pennsylvania.