We have a gas furnace at our new house and the gas bill is running us just under $300 a month right now. And we have the thermostat at 65 degrees!!!
It’s nuts! So in an effort to reduce our bill a teeny bit, I decided to close the heating vents in the rooms we don’t use everyday {the craft room and our daughters room}. And then I did a little research.
I.WAS.WRONG.
According to Spark Energy, “Closing registers to cut energy use actually caused homes to use more energy, as duct leaks from increased pressures in duct systems caused energy losses that outweighed energy savings from heating or cooling only a part of the homes.”
Not only does it not save money, it can end up costing you EXTRA money in repairs, because the systems these days are designed to disperse air flow without built up pressure–the added pressure can cause all sorts of duct work problems. Energy Vanguard listed these potential damaging consequences to closing the vents:
- Increased duct leakage
- Lower air flow with PSC blowers
- Increased energy use with ECM blowers
- Comfort problems because of low air flow
- Frozen air conditioner coil
- Dead compressor
- Cracked heat exchanger, with the potential for getting carbon monoxide in your home
- Increased infiltration/exfiltration due to unbalanced leakage , as I described last week
- Condensation and mold growth in winter due to lower surface temperatures in rooms with closed vents
Sheesh! Who knew?! Anyway, as a good samaritan, I thought I would pass the information along.
~Mavis
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Monica says
What type of furnace did you have previously? I have a gas furnace now, but am getting ready to move into a house that has a heat pump. My current house is super old (build 1900) and the house I’m getting ready to move into is newer (1997). I am just hoping that this will drastically reduce my bill. During the winter months (live in Ohio) my bill can almost be the same amount as my rent! But around $300 is the norm.
Mavis Butterfield says
In our old house we had an electric furnace.
Monica says
Thanks! I think, from what I have read, that the pump is electric. 🙂
mildred lane says
I requested an energy survey on my home from my utility company. I just filled out paper work on type of heat, number of motors running, bathrooms, etc. mail it in and received their recommendations. I all so received free 2 low flow shower heads, 2 tips to mix air w/ water at the sinks, twisted light bulbs x 2, I felt it was well worth it. thanks.
Mrs. Mac says
We have an electric heat pump/ac unit. It’s not the type where holes are drilled all over the yard, just a fan unit. It works well and is much less expensive to run than our electric furnace (which we also have). Works great with outdoor temps hovering around freezing or a little below. We have a newer wood stove and mostly heat with it during the deep winter months .. great backup should we lose power as well. Thanks for the info about closed off vents!
Jenny says
You might want to have your furnace serviced/inspected. That bill seems very high for the Seattle area.
Practical Parsimony says
Have a service clean your duct work with their long brushes. Not only can build-up in ducts reduce the efficiency of your heat system, blocked ducts can and do cause fires. They service can tell if there are leaks and repair leaks, helping you have a more efficient heat and ac system.
Helen in Meridian says
Call the gas company and apply for monthly equal pay this month. It will start in may. They take the last year of bills and divide by 12. That will be your monthly payment. Then the next may will be more or less depending on how much energy you have used. We have always done this. With our old thermostat that I controlled and dh at work, we only pay $75/mo to heat our 2500 sq ft. Dh just bought one of those fancy control from your phone thermostats that seems to make the furnaces run twice as much. I will be interested to see how much our bill goes up. With dh home, now retired, and using the lower level furnace more, I can hardly wait to see if it all doubled.
Pat says
What about a hot water heating system? I have bedrooms in the basement that are empty should I be closing these or is it more efficient to leave them open? Also, what about closing the doors to the room — does this help?
I watched that cheapstakes show that said it saves $$$ to keep your fridge & freezer full even if it’s water?