How do I properly seal off a room from a CAC?
Question:Our house has 2 CAC units, one for each floor. They work fine but I'm not certain if I'm correctly sealing off rooms that are not being used. Do I need to close both vents of the returns and keep the door closed? Also, does turning off the lower floor CAC at night help lower our electricity bill?
Answers:
Facts affecting Air Conditioning (AC) Power Use
·Heat loss or gain is directly proportional to the square of the difference in temperature on two sides of the material be it a wall or window
·So, if the temperature difference is 20 degrees, say 72 inside and 92 outside, it will transfer 4 times as much heat compared to a 10 degree temperature difference.
·If you turn off the AC or set the thermostat to a higher temperature, the temperature difference will be reduced saving power, fuel and money.
·The down side to this approach is that when you come home and the house is hot, it will take a while for the AC to catch up and you may be uncomfortable during that time.
·A fix to the wait for the AC to cool things off is a programmable thermostat, available at home centers, that will raise the set point and then lower it again at times you program in so it can increase the temp soon after you leave for work and bring it back down say a half hour before you normally get home.
·Take into consideration pets, plants and other things that may be sensitive to high temperatures. 78 degrees should not hurt
yes,do close both vents.Heat rises, you definitely DO NOT want to turn off your lower floor CAC at anytime.
I closed all vents, I put an used rug over the vents as well, and closed the doors. I don't have returns in those rooms. I don't turn OFF the downstairs air but I have an adjustable thermostat set at 76 down - I also set the upstairs one at 76 all the time and since only one bed is being used up - I bought a small window air for my room I have it on a timer that goes on at 8 so its cold by bed time...
More Related Questions & Answers...