What to do When One Room is Hotter Than the Rest
Everyone should be able to enjoy the comforts of home. Unfortunately, that’s difficult to do when one room is significantly hotter than the rest. Can’t figure out why it’s so difficult to regulate the temperature throughout your home? Not to worry. Entek is here to help. We have seven decades of experience serving the Pacific Northwest and this is a common concern we hear from homeowners this time of year.
We’ll help you figure out the best way to keep the temperature of your home consistent throughout.
The first thing to check also happens to be the simplest fix; inspect your vents. If the vents in one room are closed, they’re likely what’s causing one room to be warmer than the rest.
Just as when you close the air conditioning vents on one side of your car to adjust for passenger preferences, the closed vents in one room of your home will cause less air to circulate in that room than vents that are fully opened.
Likewise, check to see if there are any cracked windows in any rooms in your home. If so, be sure to completely close them to prevent air from escaping. If this doesn’t appear to be the issue, there could be other factors at play.
Even if your windows are closed, air could still be escaping your home if you lack adequate insulation. By properly insulating your home, you’ll maximize your home’s comfort level as well as optimize its energy efficiency. The best way to know whether your home has sufficient insulation is by performing a whole-house energy assessment. If you believe this could be an issue, contact an Entek certified technician to perform a home-performance energy test and evaluate whether additional insulation is needed.
The next thing you’ll want to check are the air ducts. It’s not uncommon for air ducts to become clogged with debris, such as dirt, dust, and pet hair. Ducts should be cleaned on a regular basis since clogged air ducts can certainly affect the airflow to parts of your home.
Similarly, leaky air ducts can also cause inconsistent temperatures throughout your house. Since handling ductwork can be dangerous, we don’t recommend it as a DIY project. If you suspect either situation to be the case, it’s best to contact an HVAC professional immediately.
Another issue, particularly in older homes, is the lack of return air vents. Your HVAC system circulates cool air through your home by using a system of supply and return ducts. Just as your HVAC unit is pumping cool air into your house, it’s also pulling the warm air out. However, if your home has an insufficient number of return air vents, it could be causing one room to be hotter than the next. You can circumvent this problem by contacting an HVAC professional to add more return ducts to your home.
There could, of course, also be a problem with your HVAC system itself. Many HVAC systems may not operate properly due to incorrect installation. It’s a problem that we see often. When HVAC systems are improperly installed, even newer, energy-efficient models can operate at the same poor level as their older, less efficient counterparts. It’s important then that you hire the right professionals to install your HVAC system correctly so that it will be fully functional from the start.
In addition to improper installation, many HVAC systems are not properly sized. You may be working with a system that’s too small or too large for your home. If your system’s cooling capacity is not large enough for your house, then it will do a poor job of cooling your home. This could result in certain areas of the house being warmer than others and will also result in a higher energy bill.
Likewise, an oversized system will also cause a host of problems. An oversized system can reach the HVAC thermostat set point more quickly, causing it to shut down and start up again more frequently. This is a problem known as short cycling that eventually leads to wear and tear. Not only does this shorten the unit’s lifespan, but it also wastes energy and increases your operational costs. The best way to determine whether you have a correctly sized HVAC system is by consulting a trusted professional.
Of course, your home’s layout is also something to consider. Some rooms may be hotter than others if they have more windows in the room, particularly those exposed to direct sunlight. Also, since heat rises, rooms on the upper floors of a multi-level home are likely to be warmer than those below. While you can’t easily change your home’s layout, there is a simple solution to consider.
System zoning is the process of using multiple HVAC thermostats to regulate the temperature in different rooms of your home. Each HVAC thermostat is wired to a control panel. The thermostats read the temperature of the particular zone, or room, to which it has been assigned and regulate the temperatures accordingly. This helps provide a more consistent temperature throughout your home. Not only does this increase comfort, it also has the potential to translate into significant cost savings on your energy bill.
There are many reasons that one room of your home may be warmer than others. A simple problem will require a simple fix and can be easy enough to troubleshoot on your own. However, a more complex issue will require additional assistance and should be done by an HVAC professional.
If this applies to you or if you’re simply unable to determine what could be causing the inconsistency in your home’s temperature, give us a call. We’ll assess your home’s particular situation and determine the best course of action. After all, we want you to keep your cool all summer long by helping your house stay cool in every room.
