Can I Save Money By Shutting Interior Doors With The AC On?

Do you have a big house? Cooling it every summer can be a big chunk of your utility bills.

Looking for ways to save money while staying cool in the process can lead you to try many things. One of the most popular is by shutting interior doors with the AC on.

In theory, it sounds like a good idea. If you have bedrooms or living spaces that you rarely use, why cool it?

Unfortunately, this is more of a myth than good advice. And if you do it enough, it will cost you more money than you’ll end up saving. Here’s why.

When your home was originally built, the ductwork was installed to weave throughout your home, delivering both heated and cooled air to every room in your home. The ducts were placed to achieve results efficiently. Vents and registers were installed to ensure each room stayed comfortable every day of the year.

When you block off a portion of the AC system, you’re in effect telling it not to work the way it was initially designed. By shutting the interior doors with the AC on, your AC still blows out conditioned air to create a comfortable environment. Your AC system is designed to blow out conditioned air, and take back in an air supply already inside your home. It’s this circular effect that keeps your house properly pressurized to ensure a comfortable living environment.

By closing interior doors, the cool, pressurized air looks for someplace to go. And since it can’t circulate throughout your home, it looks for cracks and leaks anywhere it can. It seeps out along the windows, underneath the door frame, and through leaks in the floor or wallboards.

As this cycle continues, you may also start to notice the air isn’t as comfortable as it usually is. The humidity may start to build. More outside air will be drawn in, meaning more pollutants and allergens can be in your air supply too.

And when you get your next utility bill, you probably won’t notice much of an improvement.

What’s worse, because your air conditioner won’t work the way it was designed, it can make your AC equipment work harder than it has to. That can mean more repair bills, and ultimately replacing your AC unit at the short end of its lifespan.

Instead of shutting interior doors to try and save money on your utility bill, call in one of our specialists for an annual inspection. If it’s working at its best, you’ll be guaranteed you’ll have the lowest utility bills you can with your current AC equipment.