Why is My First Floor So Cold?
On the surface, it may appear that a cold part of the house is related to a home heating problem. The truth is, many homeowners suffer from uneven heating throughout the home. Even when the furnace is operating well, one room or one floor may be colder than the other. As it turns out, the flip side is also true during summertime, when the air conditioning is operating.
Keeping temperatures comfortably balanced right throughout the home is problematic for many. And while HVAC operation and thermostat location may well be factors, chances are there’s more going on that needs attention. For many homeowners, having a cold first floor could simply be an inconvenience, but for others it may be many years of overspending on utilities.
Pumping up the heat when the first floor is cold may be a short-term solution, but it’s a recipe for wasting energy and higher-than-usual utility bills. For experts like Great Northern Insulation, it’s important to get to the source. And here, there are numerous questions. Why does the HVAC have to overwork? Is the home well insulated? Is it about air movement/circulation?
In a typical home, air movement often contributes to an imbalance in indoor temperature. And because warm air rises and cool air sinks, indoor temperature is affected on every floor of the house. Worse still, homes that are poorly sealed and poorly insulated allow for air leakage, with cold air coming into the house in winter, and warm air coming in during summer.
For Great Northern Insulation, cold areas of the house (heating/cooling imbalances) usually draw attention to weaknesses in sealing, insulating, and ventilating. And because a house is a “system”, each of the three components must be performing. When resolved, balance can be restored, with improved HVAC operation, better energy efficiency, and enhanced comfort.
