To many homeowners, vent covers are just ugly grates of metal sitting in their ceilings, walls, or floors. To the untrained eye, these covers are just but a mere trivial aesthetic concern. Vent covers on the contrary are essential components in the ventilation system and your choice of these covers and the use you put them into can prove whether they make a difference in your home comfort and how much you spend on energy bills.

The function of a vent cover is to direct streams of air from the ventilation system to where they are required the most. Therefore, rooms which don’t see much traffic should have their vent covers closed while rooms where the family spends most of their time should have their vents opened. This is a simple change in behavior that can have an enormous impact on your comfort levels and reduce your monthly expenses.

In addition to your ventilation habits, your choice of covers can have an effect on your experience. There are three main types of vent covers people use today each having its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Below is a discussion on these covers:

Basic Vent Covers

These types of covers are mostly seen in newer apartments, office buildings and town homes. They consist of simple metal grates sitting over top of vents and are designed to redirect air away from the vents and circulate it around the room. They are normally painted to match the walls or floor from which they extrude.

These covers are generally inexpensive, but don’t maintain a tight seal and this makes air to escape in places where it is not needed. This reduces the air pressure and temperature modification power of the air in places where it is needed. Because of the poor seal, these covers are placed either on the ceiling or floor, but not both. This makes them ineffective during summer.

Magnetic Vent Covers

These are fairly modular and airtight. They are fitted over basic vent covers enabling them to pick up the slack left by basic covers. As their name suggests, these vent covers magnetically seal over top of another cover. Homeowners can get this fitted at a considerable lower price of between $50 and $100. The savings you get from magnetic vent covers is sufficient to cater for the cost of installation and maintenance.

Decorative Vent Covers

These types of covers come in different varieties that suit different tastes and preferences. Some stores even offer custom grate cover designs making them effective in concealing the ugly grates in the rooms where you do not want ventilation in. These are simple to install and are not prohibitively expensive. They can help you make an impression and give your home a nice touch.