Save Energy and Money by Closing Unused Rooms
Close Up Unused Rooms - Registers
All registers in an unused room should be closed and covered to reduce energy costs and reduce waste. Be sure to do the same thing to air vents or registers that both push air into the room and take it out. Baseboard heaters can also be turned off and covered, though this is a bit more difficult.
To safely cover registers and air vents, first be sure to close them completely. There are commercial register covers that can be used. Some are more complex things you screw into the wall, but there are also magnetic sheets that can be attached directly to the metal fixture.
Close Up Unused Rooms - Windows and Doors
All windows and doors in the unused room should be closed and sealed against any drafts or leaks. Use storm windows on every window in the room. Make sure weather-stripping is in place and has no breaks or gaps.
You can purchase plastic sheeting, styrofoam, or even use old blankets or heavy drapes to further insulate the windows. Attach these with a heavy-duty staple gun or other secure fastening to all edges of the windows or doors inside. This will reduce leaks and lower the energy requirements of the house.
Close up Unused Rooms - Electricity
There is no need to use electricity at all in an unused room in your house. Not only should you obviously turn off all appliances, light fixtures, and other electronic equiptment, you should unplug it as well. If your house has multiple circuits or fuses, you can even disable the electricity to the unused rooms. This will prevent any electicity 'leak' that will result in very small losses that will show up on your bill. Anything you can do to reduce energy consumption is good for both the environment and your wallet.
Closing up unused rooms is an excellent way to save money and energy on your home heating costs this winter. Always be mindful of how to reduce consumption, and then take steps to further insulate or isolate those areas of the house that are not in use.
Published by Melanie L. Marten
Melanie Marten is self-taught and self-employed. Besides freelance writing, she dabbles in website design and owns dozens of websites and blogs. Work is squeezed in between parenting two boys, homeschoolin... View profile
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- Close up unused or uneccessary rooms can save you a lot of money on your monthly bills.
- All registers in an unused room should be closed and covered to reduce energy costs and reduce waste
12 Comments
Post a CommentI am an HVAC and Building Science Professional. This is NOT good advice for modern systems. It worked when you were huddling around a wood stove in the kitchen but does not apply to modern homes. The advice above conserning air sealing, caulking and insulating your home is best. Also, get rid of those central returns and/or install properly sized dedicated returns in every room (except bathrooms, closets and kitchens, of course). If you have to open the door to a room to be comfortable, something's wrong and it's usually inadequate return.
Michael: You should follow your own advice, I did. The EPA suggests that you close vents to unused rooms. Thanks for the suggestion though!
http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/ReduceEnergy.htm
FALSE.... this is a myth. Someone obviously doesn't work in the industry! Check your facts.
Yes, it works fine. But it depends on the design of your heating system some. Saving on cooling we don't care so much about since it takes a lot more energy to heat a house 80'F above ambient (up to 70') when it's -10F outside vs cooling in the summer when it's 90-100.
Closing off a room simply increases the flow to other rooms. That's on purpose, it works fine, and it's not a problem. Most doors and heating duct vents don't seal that well anyway so there are rarely condensation issues.
And closing off a room or two in a large house does not put "unnecessary strain" on the system as long as you still have most of the other vents open. And the heating vents and furnace are located IN the heated space, so any increases in ductwork leakage just goes into the house anyway. We don't typically have heating vents in attic space or outside.
Terrible tip. Closing off rooms does not save energy, it increases the strain on the HVAC (Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning) unit. The system is designed to pull a specific amount plus 10% of air from all of the supply registers into the return. It's a loop. When you choke the air off by closing a vent and a door, you are forcing the return to "find air from other areas, ie. leaky ducts in the crawlspace or attic, cracks in windows and doors. You are actually increasing the energy use by introducing unfiltered, unconditioned air into the home and putting unneccesary strain on the unit.
Leave the registers open, doors open and seal them so all of the air coming out of them is conditioned air. This one simple thing that will take you an hour or two will save you as much as 15% on your energy bills. Before trusting someone getting paid to write a quick opinion piece next time check with the EPA or Energy Star websites for facts. I hope noone will have to replace their HVAC s
I try to get my kids to shut the doors when they come out of a room during the day anyway, and then we open em up at night before bed, so they can get warm
I grew up in a big old house with large windows in Southeastern Virginia. We learned from experience how to keep warm. I remember my mother used to close doors to rooms we did not to use as much. It seemed to work because I remember always being so warm and toasty. Great ideas.
Great tips, you can also use to reduce energy bill by useing CFL,T5 fittings ,dimmers for streetlights which increases or decreases as required by traffic. Good show Melanie Marten,
Great tips, thanks for the reminders!
Great article these are the best tips. Alright, go naked!