Posted on: Jul 02, 2019
Another hot Oklahoma summer has arrived, and the air conditioning is going full blast and barely keeping up. To save some money, you might be wondering if you should keep rooms closed up when they aren’t in use. Is that a good idea or should your home’s interior doors stay open when the air conditioner is running?
Simply put, keeping doors shut to save money is a bad idea. It can drive up your energy bills while increasing the need for costly repairs. It can also cause indoor air quality problems.
Your air conditioner sends cool air out to the many vents throughout your home. At the same time, it takes air in through an air return, usually located at one or two central points. The amount of warm air it takes roughly equals the amount of cooled air it can send back out.
The pressurized air inside the room has no place to go. However, as the pressure builds, the air will find a way to escape, usually through the cracks and crannies around doors and windows. So, you are paying money to send cooled air to the hot outdoors.
At the same time, the AC is trying to draw in more air through the return duct. With the air from the closed rooms unavailable, the suction will eventually start to draw air in from outside your home. So, you are paying money to pull hot air in from outside.
So, the next time you want to close off interior doors to a room to save on your cooling bills, don’t do it.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to save money cooling your home this summer. And most of them cost very little or nothing at all. Here are a few ways to get started.
Routine maintenance and smart thinking will reduce your cooling bills this summer. If you need air conditioner repair or maintenance, contact Airco Service in Oklahoma today.