In our previous blog, we discussed why a home’s upstairs or upper floor is hotter and harder to keep cool. Often the air conditioner struggles to keep the upstairs cool and comfortable. When you are looking for ways to assist your air conditioner in cooling down your upstairs without costing you hundreds of dollars each month, Hal Mechanical will share some of the different solutions to help improve your upstairs cooling efficiency.
Where Does My Upstairs Get So Hot?
Before you call your HVAC technician there a few things you can try first. Here are a few tips on how you can improve your upstairs cooling efficiency.
• Change out the air filters every one to three months.
• Switch to a low resistance air filter such as a fiberglass air filter.
• Make sure to have your HVAC system tuned-up once a year.
• Make sure all upstairs air registers or vents are fully opened.
• Cover windows with blackout curtains or blinds during the summer months.
• Switch to LED light bulbs as they give off less heat.
Should Return Vents Be High or Low?
As hot air will rise or stack up on the upper floors of a home, it is a better HVACV system design if the return vents are located at the highest point of the home. The heat is naturally rising anyway and this makes it easier on the HVAC system to suck up the warm air from the upper floor than downstairs. See if it is possible to redesign your return vent location for better efficiency.
Buy a Multi-Stage or Modulating A/C System
If you live in an older home with an older air conditioner unit, it may only have one speed. One speed units are much less effective, especially with keeping the unit with the demand of an upper floor. Modern air conditioners are designed with multi-speeds as they are more effective. A single speed runs on full blast each time and sends out a burst of cool air during a single cycle. A multi-speed unit runs longer cycles but at lower speeds. This greatly helps maintain a cooler upper floor. Instead of a burst of cold air you will have a continual source of cool air maintaining the upstairs temperature. If you have a single-speed unit consider upgrading your air conditioner with a multi-speed air conditioner unit.
Can You Add Zones to an Existing HVAC System?
You may want to consider installing a zoning control system. A professional HVAC can install a zoning system. Basically the two units, one for the upper floor and the unit for the downstairs, will each have their own thermostat as well as a motorized damper that sends the cool air to the needed areas of the home. Since the upper floor will require more demanding cooling cycles, it makes sense to have a thermostat for each of the units.
Air Conditioner Efficiency Tips
To help improve your cooling efficiency for the upper floor there are a few steps you will want to take. First make sure your attic space has proper ventilation to help move the heat out of the attic. Next, make sure to insulate the air duct system as they can get hot. Make sure the air ducts do not have any leaks and are properly sealed.
Central Air Conditioning Repair, Replacement & More in Aliante, Anthem, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Enterprise, Green Valley Ranch, Henderson, Inspirada, Mountain’s Edge, North LV, Peccole Ranch, Paradise, Providence, Rhodes Ranch, Seven Hills, Silverado Ranch, Spring Valley, Summerlin, Sunrise Manor, The Lakes, Tuscany Village & Las Vegas Nevada
When you have a hotter upstairs and need help cooling it down, contact Hal Mechanical and schedule our services today.
