Your entire residence should be a retreat that’s warm and cozy in the cold months and cool and comfortable in the summer. However, owners of some two-story homes find the upper floor is stubbornly hotter or colder than the first floor.

This could just be caused by the fact that most thermostats in a house are on the ground floor, which is where people spend the the majority of time—in the living room, kitchen, etc.—so it makes sense to set the temperature according to how it feels on the first floor.

However, temperature variations between the upstairs and downstairs could also be due to problems with your HVAC system. Some of these difficulties can be fixed somewhat quickly while others might call for more extensive and costly fixes. Here, the specialists at Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling will help you determine why the upstairs of your home is hotter than downstairs, or vice versa.

Why Is It Hot Upstairs?

The phenomenon of the upstairs of a two-story home becoming hotter than the downstairs can be traced to several factors. For starters, heat rises, so it’s natural for the second floor of a home to get hotter than the main floor. Insufficient insulation in the attic or roof can make this worse by letting heat transfer from the roof into the upstairs rooms.

Another common reason is that the air conditioning is not big enough to cool the entire home, causing it to struggle to cool the upstairs adequately.

To tackle these issues, homeowners could put in additional insulation in the attic and make sure their home has sufficient ventilation. If there’s a possibility the AC is the ideal size for the home, call an experienced HVAC company like Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling inspect the unit. A skilled professional also can help find a unit that's better suited for your home if you are considering air conditioning installation or replacement.

Why Is My Upstairs So Cold/Not Heating?

When the downstairs of your home is warm, but it’s extremely chilly upstairs, that can cause a very chilly night for anyone whose bedrooms are on the upper floor. The most frequent explanations for an upstairs not heating like it ought to are the insulation levels and the ductwork.

Inadequate insulation permits cold air to leak through the home’s attic or walls and contribute to heat loss, resulting in colder temperatures upstairs. It’s important to make sure your home has a deep, level layer of insulation in the attic and proper insulation in the walls to keep the cold out and the heat inside.

The ductwork in a home plays a critical role in distributing conditioned air throughout different areas of the building. However, troubles with the ductwork can result in the upstairs being colder than the main level. A typical reason for this is improper airflow balance. The ducts may not be the correct size or configuration, causing an uneven distribution of air between the floors. This can cause more warm air to be directed to the downstairs, causing insufficient airflow—which is the heated air—on the higher floors.

Another potential problem area in the ductwork is the location of the supply and return vents. If there are fewer vents on the upper story or they are not correctly positioned, it can reduce air circulation and cause substandard heating or cooling. Also, leaks or gaps in the ductwork can lead to air loss, decreasing the overall efficiency of the HVAC system and exacerbating the temperature difference.

To figure out why the upstairs is colder than the downstairs, homeowners should hve their ductwork inspected by experienced professionals like the team at Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling to identify any imbalances, leaks or inadequacies. Sealing leaks and installing additional vents or adjusting existing ones can help enhance airflow and ensure a better temperature balance between the upstairs and downstairs.

Fixing the Hot or Cold Upstairs Problem?

If your upstairs is hotter or colder than the rest of your home, an HVAC zoning system could be an effective solution.

An HVAC zoning system breaks the residence into distinctive zones, which each have their own thermostat and damper system so the homeowner can modify the heating or cooling of each zone.

This system can be particularly useful in scenarios where the upstairs of a multi-story home is quite hot or too cold while the main floor is comfortable. By setting up a  zoning system, homeowners can manage the temperature independently in each zone, enabling them to address specific hot or cold spots effortlessly.

To discover more about an HVAC zoning system in Athol, call Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling. We’ve developed and installed customized home comfort plans for many community members and are happy to show how an HVAC zoning system could work in your home.

Why Is My Upstairs So Humid?

In addition to the upper story being hotter or colder than the rest of the house, another problem in multi-floor homes is when the higher levels are more humid than the lower level.

A typical reason for excess upper floor humidity is poor ventilation on the upper floor, which can cause increased humidity levels. As is often the case with temperature differences between floors, insufficient insulation or sealing in the attic or walls may let warm, humid air from outside the house infiltrate the upstairs rooms. Plus, if there are any leaks or plumbing issues on the upper floor, that can also cause excessive moisture in that section of a home.

To manage humidity problems, homeowners can add more ventilation by getting fans or opening windows to promote airflow. Appropriate levels of insulation  in the attic and better sealing the attic and walls can help protect against external moisture from entering the upstairs. Locating and repairing any leaks or plumbing issues is also critical.

Depending on the levels of moisture found in the home, a whole-home dehumidifier could be another useful tool to control humidity in the residence.