Upstairs Hotter than Downstairs

Why is my upstairs hotter than downstairs, I only have one unit that covers both?

The problem with one unit covering both is you have different demands upstairs than you do downstairs. When you look at a house or anything, heat rises, which means typically upstairs is warmer than downstairs. Chances are, the thermostat is downstairs, so to get the upstairs comfortable you have to make the downstairs freezing.

When I first got married we had an apartment that had two stories but only one unit. When you went downstairs at nighttime you better put on a coat. Upstairs you have more of a load than downstairs since heat rises. You also have the attic upstairs, so you have these forces you are going against. You have the attic, you have windows, you have upstairs with the heat rising. Downstairs of course, cold air falls, and you don’t have an attic downstairs. The crawlspace is not much of a heat load compared to an attic, so it is a different demand. How you solve that problem is either two units, or what we have done several times which is zoning.

You make downstairs one zone and you make upstairs one zone. It is very simple, if you have a unit that covers upstairs and downstairs right now then you can very simply make it a two zone system. You will have a thermostat downstairs and you will have a thermostat upstairs. You can keep them the temperature you want, and it can make it work that way. The challenge with some houses is that there is not that “duct chase” in the house for the duct to be ran to have one unit for the whole home. If you already have that, obviously that is available, you just need to make it a zoning situation.

I wouldn’t get two units, just zone it upstairs and downstairs and that will solve your problem. Until you do that, it is what it is. The thermostat is downstairs, the upstairs is warmer, in the summertime it definitely will be, you will just have to freeze it out downstairs to get the upstairs as comfortable as possible.

Your friend in comfort and energy savings,

Derek Cole

Derek Cole is the General Manager of One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, an independently owned and operated franchise based in Laurinburg, North Carolina since 1953 and named to the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies in 2016. He has more than 15 years of experience in the HVAC industry and has created two You Tube broadcasts, The Comfort Experts and #AskDerekCole, filled with tips and tricks on saving energy and being comfortable. He was named the Top 40 under 40 in the HVAC industry by the News magazine and featured in Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise Player Spotlight. Derek has also been seen on CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Business sharing about One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® and home comfort tips.