Closed Doors Won't Reduce Energy Costs | Columbia Heating & Cooling Portland, OR
Written by Columbia HVAC

Closing Doors Won’t Save on Energy Costs

Q: Does closing doors reduce the cost of heating and cooling a home?

A: Closing off an infrequently used room during extreme hot or cold temperatures may seem like  a good idea. After all, why pay to heat or cool a room you aren’t using?

In actuality, closing doors or blocking off airflow to a room will not help save on energy consumption. It can cause health problems, increase utility bills, and decrease comfort.

Simple principles of science can help explain this event: When air is forced into a room and then trapped, it creates pressure in the room and looks to escape. Air will escape a pressurized area by any means or opening possible. When air is forced out of a room under pressure, an equal amount of air is drawn into the home to replace the air that was forced out. This process can increase the amount of air being drawn from 300 to 900 percent, thereby increasing energy consumption.

Replacement air comes through anyway it can. This can be from your chimney, flue, water heater, and more, which creates a steady draft. This air isn’t filtered through your HVAC unit and will contain whatever undesirable particles (dirt, dust, carbon monoxide, humidity) existing near the source of the airflow.

There are several ways to remedy this situation. Some of them being installing cold air returns or transfer grills. As a local HVAC professional, we can help you determine the best solutions in order to have the most optimal airflow in your home – keeping you and your family healthy and safe. Contact us today and learn how we can help your HVAC system run at peak performance.