Why is the upper level of your home so cold?
You really notice it when the weather is cold like this. The first floor of your house is nice and warm but the upper levels are really chilly.
It could be that your furnace is too small for the job or there's a problem with the airflow - getting warm air to the parts of the house where it's needed.
I spoke to Cheryl Reed at Angie's List about this.
"Before you leap to the conclusion that you've got a major project on your hands here, what you should do is take a look at your filters," she said. "Make sure they're not dirty and clogged and restricting air flow. Then run your furnace blower continuously to see if that will solve the problem."
If not, and the house is really uncomfortable, check the insulation. Do you have enough? If so, it may be time to find a good HVAC specialist to inspect your furnace and ductwork.
"So you need to take a really good look at whether you have the correct amount and sized and sealed ductwork that is going to help that air flow correctly," said Reed.
Another solution might be a zoned heating system to fill in the gaps.
More info:
When is the right time to replace home heating equipment?
10 ways to save on the heating bill
8 ways to reduce HVAC energy costs
6 signs of furnace trouble
It could be that your furnace is too small for the job or there's a problem with the airflow - getting warm air to the parts of the house where it's needed.
I spoke to Cheryl Reed at Angie's List about this.
"Before you leap to the conclusion that you've got a major project on your hands here, what you should do is take a look at your filters," she said. "Make sure they're not dirty and clogged and restricting air flow. Then run your furnace blower continuously to see if that will solve the problem."
If not, and the house is really uncomfortable, check the insulation. Do you have enough? If so, it may be time to find a good HVAC specialist to inspect your furnace and ductwork.
"So you need to take a really good look at whether you have the correct amount and sized and sealed ductwork that is going to help that air flow correctly," said Reed.
Another solution might be a zoned heating system to fill in the gaps.
More info:
When is the right time to replace home heating equipment?
10 ways to save on the heating bill
8 ways to reduce HVAC energy costs
6 signs of furnace trouble
For those buying newly constructed homes, examine the furnace for the home and see if it is really strong enough to do the job. I failed to note that 24 years ago and learned the hard way. The furnace put into the home then wasn't strong enough to heat a one story home let alone a two story home. It cost us to upgrade more recently, but the difference is noticeable. But the new one while being a bit costly, has also reduced the need to run more often, and uses less energy, so the pay back adds up. When they build homes, some of those builders cut costs by using less than adequate materials, check carefully all utility equipment, and if they don't make sense, then either demand better or look else where and take not of the names of the builders to avoid. One more thing, it's not too hard to seal the heating duct joint points and to cover them to keep the cold from them.