I have been looking at houses built in Reno, Nevada and have noticed that many of them have floor vents and what are called “crawl spaces.” Can you explain why homes there are built with floor vents while homes here in Houston are not? In your opinion, are they a good idea? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Randy
Tom’s Answer:
Tom: You’ll find vents on the floor in areas where they’re more concerned about heating. It heats more efficiently because hot air rises. Here in Texas, we worry about air conditioning so the vents … Even though we might have crawl spaces on our homes, the vents go in the ceiling because it mixes the hot air with the cool air coming out, and it makes the house more comfortable. That’s why we’re more uncomfortable here in the winter time because we don’t have floor vents in our air conditioning and heating systems.
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