Options for an imbalanced house temperature
April 14, 2022 7:50 AM Subscribe
Living in a new (to me) house that has three floors that has one central heat/pump (air/heat) and various levels of temperature in the three floors with sleeping temperatures un ideal (too cold in winter, too hot in summer) and very high electricity costs. How have you fixed this? Are there companies that can help honestly provide options?
I bought a house which had a heat pump installed 8 years ago, no multi zones, one big unit that covers the whole house. We had someone come out and they explained that it seemed like the duct work was not sufficient to supply the upstairs. As summer is coming we want to balance costs and efficicacy.
I see from level of cheapest to most expensive.
0. Get fans for the sleeping rooms
1. Install vent fans and block unused grills with covers
2. Add ceiling fans (no lighting receptacle, no accessible attic)
3. use window a/cs (not hoping to use this for aesthetics reasons)
4. Get mini splits for the upstairs (no accessible attic seems like an issue, maybe they can use existing ductwork?) to hack a multizone
5. Get dampers installed in ductwork
6. Replace ductwork (major changes in house interior, though)
7. Replace the heat pump (its only 8 years old)
8. Get multiple heat pump, one for upstairs. (might be able to replace closet in bedroom)
I've heard of poeple installing another air return that helps, or even a whole house fan. Thoughts?
I bought a house which had a heat pump installed 8 years ago, no multi zones, one big unit that covers the whole house. We had someone come out and they explained that it seemed like the duct work was not sufficient to supply the upstairs. As summer is coming we want to balance costs and efficicacy.
I see from level of cheapest to most expensive.
0. Get fans for the sleeping rooms
1. Install vent fans and block unused grills with covers
2. Add ceiling fans (no lighting receptacle, no accessible attic)
3. use window a/cs (not hoping to use this for aesthetics reasons)
4. Get mini splits for the upstairs (no accessible attic seems like an issue, maybe they can use existing ductwork?) to hack a multizone
5. Get dampers installed in ductwork
6. Replace ductwork (major changes in house interior, though)
7. Replace the heat pump (its only 8 years old)
8. Get multiple heat pump, one for upstairs. (might be able to replace closet in bedroom)
I've heard of poeple installing another air return that helps, or even a whole house fan. Thoughts?
How is the house insulated? It may be a better investment to improve the insulation than to add more electrical fittings.
posted by mumimor at 8:05 AM on April 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 8:05 AM on April 14, 2022 [3 favorites]
We have a two level ranch with a walk out basement with one heat pump and the thermostat upstairs . The two levels would always be different temperatures. Especially in the summer the basement would be much cooler. I set the blower fan to be continuously on, thinking this would pull the cool air from downstairs. It seems to work for us. I also notice the heat pump cycling less frequently.
posted by tman99 at 8:10 AM on April 14, 2022
posted by tman99 at 8:10 AM on April 14, 2022
An option in the step 2 range is to get a thermostat with remote temperature sensors. I picked up a used Ecobee a while back and the sensors have done wonders for comfort in our two story, 100 year old house. What's particularly is nice is that I can set the rooms I want at a specific temperature, and then if other rooms are running too hot, I know to close those vents. This isn't necessarily a long term fix (and probably won't fix your energy usage concerns) but it's a very simple DIY option.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:11 AM on April 14, 2022
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:11 AM on April 14, 2022
Does it get cold at night, where fans would even help? You really need a zoned AC with auto dampers or you need a 2nd unit to cover your top floor. I think minisplits might work here, but none of these options are going to be cheap.
It it in a basement or somewhere easily accessible for manual dampers? If so you could shut off most of the downstairs, completely cool the upstairs, and the cold air would filter downstairs.
If your ducts are not in your attic, then feel free to shut them off in rooms. If they are in your attic, then you will get a lot of leakage, so I wouldn't recommend completely blocking them off.
A second return may work, but that's in the 'install ductwork --> major interior repairs' column in your list there.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:34 AM on April 14, 2022
It it in a basement or somewhere easily accessible for manual dampers? If so you could shut off most of the downstairs, completely cool the upstairs, and the cold air would filter downstairs.
If your ducts are not in your attic, then feel free to shut them off in rooms. If they are in your attic, then you will get a lot of leakage, so I wouldn't recommend completely blocking them off.
A second return may work, but that's in the 'install ductwork --> major interior repairs' column in your list there.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:34 AM on April 14, 2022
BTW, if your house is old, it may be designed to handle this (though the functionality can still be vastly improved with better insulation). We do this:
When it is hot in the summer, we cross-ventilate the house thoroughly very early in the morning and after sundown. This helps cool down the internal walls and floors, and they can emit coolness during the rest of the day and night. During the day, open windows and doors on the cool side of the building and curtains and awnings on the hot side help us maintain a fair temperature. This works best with brick or stone, but you can get good results with awnings on timber constructions. Or porches, this is a big reason you have those two story porches on Southern mansions.
In winter, we move about according to the sun, but also, we keep some rooms closed off most of the time. All of us like cool bedrooms and big thick comforters -- it's tradition, Scandinavian kids are put out to sleep (in prams) in the snow, so we develop a liking for the combination of cold faces and snuggly wraps around our bodies.
posted by mumimor at 9:53 AM on April 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
When it is hot in the summer, we cross-ventilate the house thoroughly very early in the morning and after sundown. This helps cool down the internal walls and floors, and they can emit coolness during the rest of the day and night. During the day, open windows and doors on the cool side of the building and curtains and awnings on the hot side help us maintain a fair temperature. This works best with brick or stone, but you can get good results with awnings on timber constructions. Or porches, this is a big reason you have those two story porches on Southern mansions.
In winter, we move about according to the sun, but also, we keep some rooms closed off most of the time. All of us like cool bedrooms and big thick comforters -- it's tradition, Scandinavian kids are put out to sleep (in prams) in the snow, so we develop a liking for the combination of cold faces and snuggly wraps around our bodies.
posted by mumimor at 9:53 AM on April 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Seconding that external shade is amazing for summer heat. You can install sunshades over a wall not just windows, or grow deciduous vines, and when your roof needs replacing look into the year-round energy balance of the options.
posted by clew at 10:04 AM on April 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by clew at 10:04 AM on April 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Our 98 year old row house in DC has this exact problem due to undersized ducts "wedded" to the joists and inadequate air return from upstairs. I closed off as many grates as practical in the basement but there are so many air leaks that it's not really possible to direct enough of the cold air to the top of the house in summer. In winter the bedrooms can be chilly but not too cold because of the way heat rises in our place, and the basement usually stays in the mid 60s F. In summer the stratification is intense and you can feel the warm layer as you go upstairs. What I did as a stopgap eight years ago, and still do, was put a Vornado fan at the bottom of both staircases, just pointing up the stairs to move cold air up a bit and break up the layers. Without the fans the upstairs can be 12° F warmer than the basement. With fans the upstairs is usually between 6° and 8° F warmer than the basement. That's as good as I can get it in our house without a second zone.
posted by fedward at 10:30 AM on April 14, 2022
posted by fedward at 10:30 AM on April 14, 2022
If the duct work isn't allowing enough hot or cold air to get upstairs, then that's what you need to address. You need to add more ductwork or expand the current ductwork to allow sufficient airflow to and from the upstairs. A competent HVAC person should be able to give you some options about how to accomplish this. You probably don't need to replace existing ductwork, just expand it. They can also advise you if blocking some ducts downstairs is wise or not, which no one can tell you without looking at your system.
This is likely to be cheaper than adding additional heat pumps (high capital cost) or window ACs (high running cost). Replacing the heat pump probably won't help at all, unless the current unit is running all the time (i.e. never reaching the temperature set on the thermostat).
Adding additional insulation, sealing air leaks and shading windows in the summer may all be necessary as well. A home energy audit would be a good place to start for these.
posted by ssg at 11:04 AM on April 14, 2022
This is likely to be cheaper than adding additional heat pumps (high capital cost) or window ACs (high running cost). Replacing the heat pump probably won't help at all, unless the current unit is running all the time (i.e. never reaching the temperature set on the thermostat).
Adding additional insulation, sealing air leaks and shading windows in the summer may all be necessary as well. A home energy audit would be a good place to start for these.
posted by ssg at 11:04 AM on April 14, 2022
In addition to the options laid out by yourself and others, consider getting a smart thermostat with multiple temperature sensors. This way you can have the system adjust its power to meet the part of the house you're in at any given moment. Some thermostats let you program this ahead of time, and others have smart sensors that can tell where in the house you are. As an example, my system reads the temperature from the main floor of the house during the daytime, but the second floor of the house where the bedrooms are at night.
posted by soy_renfield at 6:07 PM on April 14, 2022
posted by soy_renfield at 6:07 PM on April 14, 2022
Get a home energy audit.
I was facing similar concerns, had the audit, and spent a little under a thousand bucks to DIY air sealing and blow-in cellulose. Now we can keep those previously cold/hot/expensive rooms nicely conditioned for little money since the energy loss/gain from outside is greatly minimized.
That kind of work should be your first step. Throwing an $8,000 minisplit install into a poorly insulated and sealed space would be a waste.
posted by MonsieurBon at 7:23 PM on April 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
I was facing similar concerns, had the audit, and spent a little under a thousand bucks to DIY air sealing and blow-in cellulose. Now we can keep those previously cold/hot/expensive rooms nicely conditioned for little money since the energy loss/gain from outside is greatly minimized.
That kind of work should be your first step. Throwing an $8,000 minisplit install into a poorly insulated and sealed space would be a waste.
posted by MonsieurBon at 7:23 PM on April 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks! Funny fedward, I live in a 100 year old row home in DC (though gutted/renovated 8 years ago).
posted by sandmanwv at 9:39 AM on April 15, 2022
posted by sandmanwv at 9:39 AM on April 15, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by CrystalDave at 8:02 AM on April 14, 2022 [2 favorites]