My upstairs is very hot!?

Question

i have a 2 level home, and in the summer the down stairs is at whatever the a/c is on, but the upstairs is at least 10 degrees warmer all the time, so my ac is always going. all the downstairs vents are closed to make the air go to the upstairs vents, and fans are going but it just wont cool down. the blinds are all closed up there too....what do i do to cool it down???

Answer 1

I found one of the best investments I ever made was to install an attic fan.  I could not get the upstairs portion of my home cool and you could literally feel the temperature difference climbing the stairs.  We have an automatic thermostat on ours that turns it on if the temperature in the attic gets to 90 degrees.  It really helps move that hot air out and keeps the upstairs much cooler.  And it is very efficient it costs a fraction of the price per kw hour to operate that the AC does.

Answer 2

Is your attic properly vented?  Sounds like you need to invest in some attic insulation too!  What's the temp of the cooled air coming from the vents on the 2nd floor.  Perhaps your cooled air is warming up too much by the time it reaches the 2nd floor vents.  Does your electric company provide a free energy assessment?  Ours does and they give some great answers.

Answer 3

you can definitely invest in an attic fan (I plan on installing one this month), it will help get the hot air out of your attic. plus you can better insulate your attic also, I'm sure a lot of hot air is seeping in because of the lack of insulation, and hot air out of your house in the winter. also, you can have someone come and check your duct work and your vents- you'd be surprised by how much air seeps out into your walls and is wasted. hot air rises and cold air sinks, so upper levels will always be a little hotter. you could also install a small window unit upstairs to help cool it down a bit. keep doors closed and vents closed to rooms that arent used very much also.

Answer 4

Seems like you need an air exchanger. The cold air is heavier and sits on the lower levels of your home. With the hot air not having anywhere to go, and because it's lighter - it rises to the upper rooms of your home. You'd need a place for it to go, so an air exchanger is a possibility. Don't open windows or doors - that's counter productive.

Call your local energy supplier and see if you can get a free assessment.