We get it! You’ve been paying high cooling costs for months to keep your home comfortable during the long, sweltering Arizona summer. And, temperatures are still climbing above 100 degrees even though fall is just around the corner. You want relief and may be tempted to shut room vents to save a few dollars.
Don’t do it!
But, It Seems Logical…
It may make sense that if you shut room vents, you’ll be using less air to cool down your home. Unfortunately, air conditioning doesn’t quite work that way. Room vents are not installed in your home to restrict airflow. Rather, their purpose is to control the direction of air movement as it passes into a room.
Shutting a vent all the way doesn’t provide an effective seal, and it can cause damage to your HVAC system. Why? The motor that powers the blower fan in your system’s air handler is designed to push against a maximum air pressure. If the pressure is increased due to a blocked vent, it impacts the motor and will result in a drop in airflow throughout the system. If your system’s blower has a variable speed motor, this pressure will cause the motor to ramp up to its highest power level which will result in higher utility bills and greater stress on the motor. Over time, this can lead to problems with the compressor and evaporator coils.
Alternatives to Shutting Vents
Now that you know that shutting vents isn’t an effective way to save money and may actually cause problems with your HVAC system, it’s good to know that there are some ways you can lower your home cooling costs. Here are some easy strategies that you can use:
- Maintain a thermostat reading around 78 degrees during the day.
- Change air filters once a month.
- Clean vent covers and ensure they’re not blocked.
- Keep your outdoor unit clean so that it can expel heat.
Want to learn more about reducing your monthly home cooling expense? Call the experts at Cool Blew.
