Is the upper floor of your home significantly warmer than the lower floors, even though your AC is turned down? Although each space is unique and contributing factors can vary, these 5 common culprits account for most homes experiencing this problem.
Inadequate Insulation Level
Unless insulation has been added to your attic in the last 3-5 years with a depth of 12-14 total inches, you probably don’t have enough to maintain temperature consistency in your home.
Solution: Appropriate levels of insulation will not only slow energy loss in winter, but also reduce radiant heat gain during the hot summer months. Most homeowners will experience an immediate reduction in temperature variations after insulation is installed. In addition, because it is a relatively inexpensive home improvement, the ROI is high since utility bills are often significantly reduced.
Improperly Sealed Ductwork
If the attic has exposed ductwork, you may be losing a significant amount of conditioned air (along with your utility dollars!) whenever your HVAC system is running. Most ductwork is rife with gaps, cracks and poorly sealed seams.
Solution: To reduce the loss of conditioned air and improve efficiency, ductwork sealing should be completed as part of any full scope air sealing and insulation project.
Poorly Balanced Ductwork
In addition to leaky ducts, many homes have improperly balanced HVAC systems. Insufficient return airflow is a common problem characterized by a lack of “pull,” which in turn drastically reduces air movement out of the supply side register. To overcome this, homeowners often “tune” registers in an attempt to maximize output in a given area. While this may seem like a suitable fix, it is not recommended since it exacerbates the problem by causing premature wear on components.
Solution: A qualified HVAC professional or Energy Consultant can assess the airflow balance of the system and make proper recommendations for repair.
Air Leakage
Air leakage may appear to be more of a wintertime issue, as cold drafts make this culprit easy to identify. However, air leakage can have an equally detrimental impact on your comfort and utility bills in the summer months. When the AC is running, it works hard to remove heat from the summertime ambient air (+90 degrees) and condition it to a cooler temperature.
Solution: Maintaining an airtight HVAC system will reduce the strain on the AC (and your wallet), as less energy is required to maintain the cooler temperature of interior conditioned air. When conditioned air is lost to leakage, the system works overtime to repeat the cycle of drawing in hot ambient air to cool.
Radiant Heat Gain
Homes that have windows with clear glass and primarily Southern or Western exposures may receive too much “free” heat from the sun, thus causing rooms to feel hot and uncomfortable. Clear glass will allow up to 80% of the sun’s radiant energy to enter these rooms. Depending on the manufacturer, Low-e equip windows will reduce that number to less than half.
Solution: If you struggle to maintain cool temperatures in rooms with this view, upgrading to a replacement window with Low-e will considerably reduce radiant heat gain.
If you’d like to increase your home’s comfort and efficiency and would like more information on air sealing, insulation or energy saving replacement windows, call the experts at Windows on Washington today.
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