Install Cold Air Returns High or Low

When we talk about conserving energy, we generally think we have to spend a lot of money to achieve this goal. Sure, installing new double insulated glass windows, and a new furnace are just a couple of things you can do to save money on your energy bills. However they are quite expensive and will take several years to recoup your investment. What people don’t realize, there are several improvements you can make to your home without it costing you a lot of money.

The first place you should look is your heating and air conditioning. The area that I am going to talk about are the cold air returns. When you buy a home today or any home built with heating and air conditioning, the cold air returns are usually installed close to the ceiling. Normally  just about every room will have them. You may not see them in a bathroom if it is small, however larger bathrooms may have them. Having them close to the ceiling is great for the summer time when you run your air conditioning, but not good in the winter when you have the heat on. Let me explain. Heat rises, and cold air stays close to the floor. In the summer having the cold air returns near the ceiling is great. When the air turns on the fan sucks air into the return air vent, thus pulling the warm air from the ceiling and cooling it down, which keeps the house cool. Now in the winter time this system is not very efficient. Remember the hot air rises and the cool air stays low. When the heat turns on it is pulling the warm air from the ceiling, reheating air that is already warm. Ever notice in the winter if you sit on the floor maybe watching TV, its a little chilly close to the floor. Back in the day before air conditioning, there was just a furnace. I am talking about the forced air furnace. What I mean is the furnace that needs duct work to deliver hot air to your house, not the ones with hot water or steam. These forced air systems also need vents for return air. Back then the cold air returns were in the floor. That’s where they need to be in the winter, close to the floor to pull the cold air in and warm the cooler air.

So should you install cold air returns high or low? You can do both. In most homes the builders will use the wall cavity as a cold air return. That means the space between two wall studs. If you have this type of air return system in your home then you can have a vent at the ceiling and at the floor. In the picture you can see the cold air return close to the ceiling. I needed to do some drywall repair so while I had the wall open I installed a plaster ring for the cold air return vent. You can see how the cavity in the wall is used for the return air. I outlined the plaster wring in black so you can see it.

First go to your local home improvement warehouse and find a vent that you can open and close. Purchase two of them. Try to find one that is the same size or bigger than the one you already have so you wont have to patch drywall. Install one in your existing location. Then in the same line as your existing vent cut a hole in the drywall just above the base boards and install the other vent. In the winter close the top vent and open the bottom and the cold air close to the floor will be drawn in. This will also pull the warm air down from the ceiling, thus distributing the warm air more efficiently. Reverse this step in the summer. Close the bottom vent and open the top vent, so the warm air at the ceiling will be cooled. This system will cool and heat your home quicker thus saving you money on your energy bills.