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Heat and A/C Registers: To Close or Not to Close?

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

January 9, 2002

Q. My daughter's house is heated by gas-fired hot air. She also has central air conditioning.

Both the hot and cold air use the same duct work. The problem is that one register in the dining room is located on the wall so she has no choice but to cover it with a wood china cabinet.

Should the register remain closed, as it is, or open? - Ed K., North Massapequa

A. Years ago, when I didn't know better, I would close the doors and registers of unoccupied rooms I did not want to heat or cool.

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I figured this was saving me money in utility bills.

According to experts, closing registers do not save money. Heating and cooling systems are designed to control temperature in specific square footage of living space.

The system can't sense when registers are closed, so it continues to operate at the same pace.

Also, cold or heated air from the unoccupied room leaks quickly back into the living area.

Keep the register open. If it must be covered by furniture, use a register extender or diverter to control the flow of air.

Extenders and diverters are available at hardware stores and home centers.

They usually attach to the face of the register by magnets so the flow of air can be directed upward, downward and even sideways.

I would suggest using a diverter to direct the air upward.

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