For many homeowners in Northern Virginia and the Washington DC area, dealing with temperature fluctuations between floors is a regular way of life, especially for those living in an older home. But it often goes unaddressed or is solved with a temporary fix, like window ACs or ineffective fans. Luckily, a better solution is out there!
At The Fifth Fuel, we’re a team of building science experts with over 30 years of experience. We take a whole-home approach to our work, which means we take the time to understand the true cause of comfort and efficiency issues, like a hot upstairs. Our comprehensive home performance services are tailored to meet the specific needs of your home and can help solve temperature imbalances between floors, along with many other problems you may be experiencing.
3 Common Causes of Inconsistent Temperatures
Temperature imbalances between rooms or floors in your home can result from a number of different factors. However, the issue is most often caused by a combination of air leakage, poor insulation, or bad ducts.
Air Leakage
Your building envelope is the barrier that separates your living spaces from the unconditioned areas in your home, like your garage or crawl space. Most homes are riddled with cracks and gaps in the building envelope, which makes unwanted airflow a common occurrence. Air leaks can not only contribute to fluctuating temperatures in your home, but also cause:
- Poor indoor air quality
- High energy bills
- Moisture & humidity issues
The Solution: Air Sealing
Air sealing strengthens your home’s building envelope by reducing air leakage and improving its overall performance. This leads to less wear and tear on your HVAC system, a protected home structure, and reduced or eliminated comfort issues like a stuffy second floor.
Poor Insulation
Insulation is commonly thought to be necessary when it’s cold outside during the winter, and it very much is. What’s not as widely acknowledged, however, is that proper insulation is also crucial during the summertime. A lack of insulation is one of the main reasons why indoor discomfort occurs, and the problem is often more prevalent in older homes with dirty or old insulating materials.
The Solution: Insulation Upgrades
Home insulation helps prevent unwanted heat transfer in and out of your living spaces to further strengthen its building envelope. Attic insulation is especially important for solving a hot upstairs during the summer and eliminating ice dams in the winter
Bad Ductwork
According to ENERGY STAR, an estimated 20% or more of the conditioned air from your HVAC system is lost through leaky or poorly designed ductwork. This means even the most high-performance AC will operate with reduced efficiency, which can quickly lead to an uncomfortable home and high energy bills.
The Solution: Duct Sealing
Properly sealing your home’s duct system can drastically improve your HVAC performance, helping to eliminate comfort issues and lower your heating and cooling costs.
The Fifth Fuel Can Help!
Are you tired of dealing with temperature imbalances and home discomfort? The Fifth Fuel team has the knowledge and experience it takes to make any home more comfortable and energy efficient. We like to start every project with an in-depth energy audit of your home so that our team can understand exactly what’s causing your second floor to be so hot and build a custom plan of action to solve the problem for good. Find out how we can help you today with a free estimate!
