The price of cooling (and heating) your home can get pretty costly, especially if you live in West Los Angeles. Even though we are lucky to enjoy some of the very best weather in the USA, there are times when temperatures fluctuate. When the weather warms up or cools down, it can get even more expensive to try and keep comfortable in your home. Therefore, many homeowners and renters alike wonder, is it better to leave my doors open or closed when running my HVAC system?
The simple answer is, leave them open.
You see, when an HVAC system is operating, it functions best as a whole unit, circulating air throughout your entire home. So, when you shut several doors in and around your home, you’re actually disrupting the nature of how your HVAC system operates. This not only ends up costing you more money in the long run, but it can cause additional problems as well.
Why Leave Doors Open?
Although it’s a common belief, shutting doors to rooms you are not using will not save you money on heating or cooling costs. It will only force your HVAC system to work overtime, causing potential long-term damage. It can also have a negative impact on your indoor air quality, since your HVAC system may try and compensate for the offset from closed doors.
When doors are kept closed, the air that is still being forced from your home’s HVAC system still continues to build in the room that is closed off, which actually pressurizes the air and causing the return vent to work overtime. It’s similar to closing all the vents in your home while running your HVAC system. The problem with this is that the air WILL find a way out, whether it’s from you opening the doors to allow it to circulate, or by way of cracks around trim, windows, doors and walls. The return air vent, meanwhile, is still searching for air to take in, and it will retrieve it from the outdoors if necessary. The negative pressure invites outdoor air to stream into cracks and crannies
How Does This Impact Your Home?
Aside from potentially damaging walls and trim, inviting outdoor air to circulate within your home can cause a slew of problems. It can impact the quality of your home’s indoor air by increasing humidity or inviting mold, allergens, and other airborne pollutants to enter into your home, causing a buildup of these pollutants within your home. By opening up all of your doors while heating and cooling your home, you not only prevent all of these problems from occurring, but you also end up not spending extra money unnecessarily on utility bills.
For more tips and tricks to keep your home at peak comfort, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. We are always sharing tips and tricks to help keep Los Angeles residents comfortable all year long in their homes.
Still not happy with the temperature in your home?
Maybe your system is not running as efficiently as it could and it might be in need of some routine system maintenance. Contact us today at (818) 659-9905.
