Your entire home should be a retreat that’s warm and comfy in the winter and cool and comfortable in the summer. However, families who live in some homes with multiple levels find the upper floor is stubbornly hotter or colder than the rooms on ground level.

This could just be due to the fact most thermostats in a house are on the first floor, which is where people spend the the majority of time—in the living room, kitchen, etc.—so as a result they tend to set the temperature according to how it feels on the first floor.

However, temperature variations between the upstairs and downstairs could also be because of problems with your HVAC system. Some of these difficulties can be sorted out somewhat quickly while others might require more extensive and costly fixes. Here, the specialists at Northern Comfort Inc will help you determine why the upstairs of your home is hotter than downstairs, or vice versa.

Why Is It Hotter Upstairs?

The phenomenon of the upstairs of a two-story home becoming hotter than the downstairs can be chalked up to several factors. For starters, heat rises, so it’s normal for the second floor of a home to get hotter than the ground floor. Not enough insulation in the attic or roof can make this worse by permitting heat transfer from the roof into the upstairs rooms.

Another common reason is that the air conditioning is not powerful enough to cool the entire home, causing it to fight to cool the upstairs properly.

To address these issues, homeowners could put in more insulation in the attic and make sure their home has adequate ventilation. If there’s a question of whether the air conditioning unit is the ideal size for the home, call an experienced HVAC company like Northern Comfort Inc inspect the unit. A qualified professional also can help locate a unit that's better suited for your home if you require air conditioning installation or replacement.

Why Is My Upstairs Colder/Not Heating?

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

Inadequate insulation permits cold air to filter through the home’s attic or walls and contribute to heat loss, causing colder temperatures upstairs. It’s important to make sure your home has a deep, level layer of insulation in the attic and appropriate 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 rooms of the building. However, troubles with the ductwork can cause the upstairs being colder than the downstairs. A common cause for this is improper airflow balance. The ducts may not be the right size or configuration, resulting in an uneven distribution of air between the floors. This can cause more warm air to flow downstairs, leaving insufficient airflow—which is the heated air—on the higher floors.

Another potential problem area in the ductwork is the layout of the supply and return vents. If there are fewer vents on the upper floor or they aren't well located, it can limit air circulation and cause substandard heating or cooling. In addition, leaks or gaps in the ductwork can allow 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 checked by skilled experts like the team at Northern Comfort Inc to identify any imbalances, leaks or inadequacies. Sealing leaks and putting in additional vents or adjusting existing ones can help increase airflow and ensure a better temperature balance between the upstairs and downstairs.

What Do I Do to Fix a Hot/Cold Upstairs?

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

An HVAC zoning system breaks the home 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 very useful in situations where the upstairs of a multi-story home is quite hot or extremely cold while the main floor is comfortable. By implementing a  zoning system, homeowners can manage the temperature independently in each zone, enabling them to address specific hot or cold spots easily.

To learn more about an HVAC zoning system in Mankato area, call Northern Comfort Inc. We’ve designed and installed customized home comfort plans for many community members and are happy to show how an HVAC zoning system could benefit 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 challenge in multi-floor homes is when the higher levels are more humid than downstairs.

A common explanation for excess upper floor humidity is weak ventilation on the upper floor, which can cause higher humidity levels. As is often the case with temperature differences between floors, poor 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 problems on the upper floor, that can also create excessive moisture in that section of a home.

To deal with humidity problems, homeowners can increase 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 extremely important.

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