Many homeowners are always looking for ways to reduce their home cooling costs. When it comes to their air conditioners, most know that having more energy-efficient equipment will invariably result in lower energy spending. One of the surest ways to increase the overall efficiency of your AC system is by contacting Point Bay Fuel.
Our HVAC services are designed to help your air conditioning system run at peak levels. We provide tune-ups for air conditioning systems, AC installations, and AC repairs. Moreover, we can offer many helpful strategies for lowering your summer energy bills. We offer services throughout all of Toms River NJ and the surrounding areas. Get in touch with us right now to set up your AC service appointment.
One question that customers often ask us is whether or not closing vents in unused rooms is a good idea. This article aims to answer that question while additionally supplying a few helpful, energy saving tips.
Can You Save Money By Closing Your HVAC Vents?
Your home heating and cooling systems are not going to work any less just because you close your HVAC vents. As such, you cannot cut your home cooling costs by closing vents. Instead, doing so is going to increase the amount of pressure within the system’s ductwork. This extra pressure can create problems with the air conditioner that can result in extraordinary AC repair costs. The nature of these problems can vary according to the kind of blower motor within your AC system. Among some of the common issues are:
- Increases in energy use
- Increases in duct leakage
- Having your air conditioner coil freeze
- Dead or malfunctioning compressor
- Diminished airflow in the ducts
Therefore, to have an energy efficient central air conditioner you need to keep your vents open.
Different Kinds Of Blower Motors
The blower motor in your HVAC system is an essential component that distributes the conditioned air throughout the building. The blower draws warm air from the building via the return ducts. It also forces cooled air back into the living area via the supply ducts. Blower mowers come in two basic types: PSC or permanent split capacitator and ECM or electronically commutated motors.
The primary difference between these two blower motor types is that the ECM type can alter its speed according to the related workload. A PSC is designed to blow air at a steady or fixed rate instead. Due to this fact, ECM designs are frequently in high-efficiency cooling systems. Conversely, PSC motors are usually present in low-efficiency systems.
How The Performance Of Blower Motors Is Affected By Closing The AC Vents
Both PSC and ECM blower motors function by forcing air against the difference in maximum pressure. More often than not, this difference is 0.5 iwc or inches of water column. But, specific factors can cause a significant increase in the maximum pressure difference. These include narrow supply ducts and dirty air filters. An additional element that might increase this pressure level is the closure of AC vents in rooms that are not in use. In this case, an ECM blower is going to have to work a lot harder to overcome higher than average ductwork pressure. This extra pressure will, in turn, cause more energy use and higher energy costs.
At the other side of the spectrum, PSC blower motors always blow air at a fixed rate. They can’t ramp things up to account for additional pressure within the air ducts. When these motors have to take on additional loads, they merely slow down. Therefore, you aren’t going to get as much conditioned air from the vents that you do keep open. Your home is going to feel a lot less comfortable. Worse still, less air flow throughout your AC system can result in frozen evaporator coils. It can cause extreme damage to the system compressor over time, and this is a very costly component to replace.
Increases In Air Duct Leakage
According to Energy Star, the average US home loses between 20 and 30 percent of its cooled air as the result of duct leaks. Having leaky ducts means that your home is losing cooled air already, and having extra pressure in the ducts is only going to make the issue a whole lot worse. Your AC system is going to end up consuming more energy to cool your home to a level that feels right to you, which translates into increased energy spending.
Is Your Air Conditioner Energy Efficient?
It isn’t possible to save money by closing the AC vents in rooms that you aren’t using. Doing this is not going to change what the blower motor in your cooling system has to do. In fact, opting to close AC vents can cause extra pressure in the ductwork, given that blower motors are built to function at the maximum pressure difference.
Depending upon the type of blower that your HVAC system has, this can create issues like a frozen AC coil, lower airflow, diminished indoor comfort, cracks in furnace heat exchangers, and dead compressors. Thus, it is always better to use other strategies for reducing your home energy use.
To boost the energy-efficiency of your home, get in touch with the professionals at Point Bay Fuel. We’ll service your HVAC system so that it can run at optimum efficiency. You can enjoy lower energy costs throughout the summertime. Moreover, we can also service your heating system so that your home remains both energy-efficient and comfortable during the wintertime as well. Our heating and cooling experts have the experience, training, and understanding for meeting all of your home comfort needs. If it is time for an AC replacement, we can also find the best energy efficient air conditioner or the most energy saving air conditioner brand for your home. Call us today to set up your appointment.
Contact us now by calling (732) 349-5059 to speak to one of our home comfort specialists!
The post Best Ways To Increase Your AC’s Energy Efficiency appeared first on Point Bay Fuel.
When the temperature starts to warm up, your 
If you keep your thermostat set too warm or too cold, your air conditioner will turn on and off more frequently. This kind of overuse can cause the compressor to fail sooner than it should. For those who tend to keep their vents closed or their doors and windows open while the AC is working, it will cause the compressor to work overtime. If you catch a problem like this early, it shouldn’t be an issue. However, if you don’t pay attention or address the issue, you could end up needing to replace your air conditioning system sooner than you should.
When it comes to installation, the most common issue is installing the wrong size AC. 
When your home requires 
Window ACs have one significant advantage over all the other systems. They are cheap and simple to install. Homeowners can install them on an exterior wall or in a window. The units themselves are not expensive.
Mini-split ductless air conditioning units also referred to as ductless air conditioners, are a fantastic cooling option. They do not require air ducts. Such systems have two primary components, which are the evaporator and the air handler. The condenser is outdoors, and the air handler is inside. Refrigerant tubing and electrical cables connect the components.
Ductless air conditioners are far more energy efficient than central air systems or window AC systems. When you leave the room, you can turn the unit off, thus cooling only the rooms/zones you choose. For this reason, they do not increase your energy bill, as do window units and central air systems. Additionally, ductless air conditioners have high SEER ratings with sophisticated filtration systems. This ensures that the air quality in your home will improve over time. However, it is necessary to hire a skilled HVAC technician to help you decide which unit is best for your home.