Closing Return Air Vents In Summer

The belief is that closing a vent will simply push the air onward to other parts of the home improving energy efficiency.

Closing return air vents in summer.

The popular notion has always been to shut off vents in rooms that you use infrequently. Hot air moves into the room at a lower rate leading to colder rooms or longer furnace on cycles. On balance this idea sounds like it has some merit if that is the air that is blocked from one room or rooms because of closed vents simply skips over to a room or rooms with open vents. When we close vents we are actually restricting air flow.

It is on the main floor that you probably do not want to close any vents. By adjusting your return registers you can optimize the airflow throughout your home to keep temperatures comfortable for you and your family. We think that by closing vents we are able to force the air to go where we want which is up. It most likely has adjustable fins that allow you to direct the flow of air in the room and you can use the adjusting level to shut off a vent almost entirely.

These adjustments also work to reduce energy costs as well as your energy footprint. With this in mind crawl space encapsulation will not work without closed vents. This process includes closing off your vents and doors but it also involves installing a sump pump a vapor barrier and bringing in a dehumidifier. Your furnace fan is moving cool air in the summer months.

Homeowners typically close vents in an attempt to redirect air away from unused spaces. In the summer you want the cold air to remain and the hot air to be drawn out through the return registers. In general it is usually ok to close vents in a basement. Closing air vents is a popular strategy for adjusting air flow in the home but it s not necessarily a good one.

Look at the nearest air vent in your room. By closing the floor registers and opening the ceiling registers you force the hot air out while keeping the cold air in the room. But will closing vents in unused rooms help cool your house better. If you reduce the number of exit points for the cool air your furnace fan can no longer move as much air.

What are the benefits. After all there s something more to be said for wasting energy and a lot of it. When airflow is reduced the air is not refreshed quickly enough for proper heat exchange to take place. The vents provide crucial air circulation that can not.

We mentioned that one drawback to closing vents is a problem with heat exchange.