3 Ways To Avoid Cooling Your Entire Home With Central Air Conditioning

If you have a central air conditioning system, there may be times when you wonder how you can cool a single part of your home rather than the entire house. There are times, for instance, you may just want to cool your bedroom rather than cooling an entire 3,000 square feet of space. 

Install "Smart" Grate Covers

Though vents are available in most air conditioning systems, they are usually in fairly difficult to reach locations. This is especially true if you have vaulted ceilings. No one wants to pull out the ladder every time they want to adjust the temperature. This can be avoided through the use of smart grate covers. These grate covers usually connect via WiFi and can be controlled with your phone so that you can turn the air conditioning off in certain rooms by closing the vents.

Get a Portable Air Conditioner

A portable air conditioner is a small unit usually rated only for a single room's worth of space, letting you turn down your central air conditioning system and make up for the temperature with the smaller unit. These air conditioners roll and can be moved from room to room, and their efficiency can be improved through the strategic use of standing fans and ceiling fans. Make sure that you close your door and use a door gap blocker at the bottom of the door to keep the cool air in. Don't forget that even portable air conditioners must be vented, so they will need access to a window to be used. 

Install a Zoning System

A zoning system is an upgrade feature on a traditional central air system. Rather than relying on grates, the zoning system lets you control exactly how much cool (or, in the winter, hot) air is pumped into a specific area. Often, a zoning system will actually pay for itself over time in saved electrical and gas billing. There are simple zoning systems which let you control your home level by level and more complicated zoning systems which let you control every room that has its own vent. 

Your air conditioning contractor can give you more advice on how to control the cooling in your home. Traditionally, many ground floor and second floor homes have two separate systems to control the climate -- but there are other solutions that can give you more direct control over the temperature in each room.