Q: My two-story upstairs bedroom is always much warmer than the main floor.Is there any way to combat this situation?
A: It’s not surprising that rooms upstairs are hotter than rooms downstairs: the heat goes up.But it also moves in other directions, and for the top floors of the house, a lot of heat is also transferred from the attic.
And, yes, there are things you can do to make your bedroom more comfortable.Some are simple and cheap; others are expensive.
Close curtains or drapes, especially if the sun is shining directly on the windows.Do this downstairs and upstairs as it reduces the load on the air conditioning system.External shades are more effective at blocking heat because they keep the glass cool, but they are usually only suitable for ground-level windows.Depending on the floor plan of your home and how you use the upstairs, you can also close the door to the hottest room so other rooms will be more comfortable.
Additionally, fans are utilized that consume relatively little energy compared to air conditioners.Adjust the fan setting on the thermostat to “On” instead of “Auto.”This will keep the blower circulating, which helps balance the temperature throughout the house.You can also try closing a few vents on the first floor to let more cool air into the upper floors.
Adding a fan to each bedroom and turning it on when someone is in the room can make a huge difference.The fan doesn’t lower the air temperature, running it in an empty room will raise the temperature slightly due to the heat from the motor.But when a room is occupied, moving air promotes evaporation from your skin, even if you don’t seem to be sweating, and the change from liquid water to water vapor moves heat away from your body.
Ceiling fans are great and can be installed relatively simply in a room with ceiling lights, and have access to the ceiling above to install enough bracing to support the weight of the fan.This is usually easy on higher floors due to the attic.Be sure to buy a fan that matches the size of the room and fits the ceiling height.
If installing a ceiling fan is too complicated, or if you’re a renter, you can mimic the breeze from a ceiling fan by purchasing a swinging fan on a stand, such as the Lasko Cyclone Pedestal Fan ($44.98 at Home Depot).
If the room upstairs is still too hot and uncomfortable, get the plumbing and air conditioning checked by a company that specializes in heating and air conditioning.If the ducts are leaking or undersized, or if the air conditioner is more than 15 years old, a system upgrade can make a big difference.
Tim Capps, who owns Capps Mechanical in Huntington, Maryland (443-684-7914; cappsmechanical.com) with his wife Evelyn, said the ducts serving the upper floors were often undersized, which resulted in those floors getting less cold air than they needed.But breaking the wall and redoing the duct can cause a lot of collateral damage to the drywall, so a better solution is to complement the existing system by installing a ductless system upstairs.
Single-zone ductless systems start at about $5,000.Or, depending on your home, you may want a multi-zone ductless system with a heat pump on the outside connected to each indoor unit by two pipes.A Mitsubishi ultra-heating system that provides up to eight zones and provides 100 percent heat in cold weather, down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, costs about $20,000 including installation, Capps said.
The system automatically adjusts based on which areas are turned on, so you don’t have to run it in every bedroom if you only use certain areas occasionally.If you don’t typically use your bedroom during the day, you can set a programmable thermostat in each room to turn on around the bedtime of the room’s occupants and turn off in the morning.
Capps also recommends installing an attic fan or calling an insulation company to have you bid on installing spray foam insulation on the attic side of your roof.This will keep the attic cooler and reduce heat transfer from the attic to the upper rooms.DeVere Insulation in Baltimore (410-487-0584; devereinsulation.com) works in Maryland and elsewhere and offers free estimates.
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