One room always hot in summer, cold in winter?

Question

One bedroom in our house is always hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It is on the northeast corner of the house on the second level, and it has one wall of windows which makes it susceptible to outside temps. Plus, it has two forced air vents for heat and A/C, and they are located on the ceiling next to the window, and nothing ever seems to be coming out of these vents. You can feel a little air coming out but it doesn't seem to affect the temp of the room very much. There is a celing fan, and I think it makes the room warmer in summer from the energy burn, and cooler in the winter from the air circulation. Any suggestions? (This is our nursery so we want to fix the problem)

Answer 1

Builders are famous for cutting costs in order to obtain a better profit margin. One of the areas they often cut back on is A/C and heat. I would bet that your ductwork is undersized. An A/C unit needs to pull in a certain amount of air to work properly. It may call for let's just say 1000 CFM(cubic feet per minute) and it then must discharge this same amount of air to operate properly. Many builders do not understand this concept and will hire the cheapest sub-contractor to do the install. They also want to make money, so they cut back by using thin walled ducts and often times the smallest size ducts due to costs. I have seen this probelm over and over again. If you are feeling a good breeze from these registers they are not getting the proper air to them, which is caused by too, small ductwork. Obviously the size of the windows will be detrimental to the efficeincy of any unit used as well. Make sure your windows are sealed and I wold suggest using a quality 3M type film product to help cut heat loss. The best on the market today is 3M Prestige. It comes in clear or tint and will cut not only UV but Infared heat as well. But the ducts are the main culprit here. Depending on the construction of your home is should cost somewhere around $600-$800 to have ducts upgraded. Type of roof present will have a lot to do with this price. Good Luck.

Answer 2

You can replace the windows with something more energy efficient and I would have the vents checked in the room as well as vent cleaning to make the furnace more efficient. Change furnace filters also. You can temporarily use a space heater, but this isn't a good option when the baby becomes more mobile. It sounds like a poor set up, why in the world would the vents be near the window....I had a room like this once and had the same problem. You may even want to find an alternative room for a nursery if the problem persists. Better windows and furnace/vent maintanence is the best quick solution. You can also hang decorative rugs along the walls like a wallpaper for a temporary or creative insulation of the room. I have seen this done on a home improvement show...it looked really neat.

Answer 3

It may be a ductwork problem. Circulation depends on having the proper vents and return air ducts. My home in Florida had a vent (just an always open register) over the door for one of four bedrooms. Was told that was the reason for it.

Answer 4

You have a couple of problems for consideration. Your room has those heat fluctuations for a few reasons.

Your exterior walls are ideally designed to handle the outdoor temperature extremes throughout the seasons. You are supposed to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

How soon after the sun comes up is that Northeast corner of your building getting solar exposure? The same UV that burns us is in effect burning buildings causing them to generate extreme heat the buildings aren't designed for.

Go to http://www.thermoguy.com/globalwarming-heatgain.html and see what this temperature extreme actually looks like. Your problem is simple. Don't generate the heat and you won't have it conduct through the walls where you treat the symptoms with air conditioning. Airplanes avoid UV by their paint coatings. You can also have vines or functional landscaping to shade the Northeast corner. Vines are amazing except make sure you utilize the proper professionals for best types of vines or alternatives.

In regards to the cold in the winter, your heating design leaves lots to be desired. Heat rises, why put the heating vents on the ceiling when they belong in the floor? This room is on the second level, why couldn't they get heat to the floor?

There is lots you can do, do it carefully and practice due diligence to make sure you get what you pay for. I advocate paying professionals well and having them be productive.

Good trades people know how to assist you in your objective, make sure yours are qualified and provide references(call them). You want to ensure everything complies with all applicable codes so incorporate the language in your agreement.

There are amazing heating products put in different types of floors. Feet are warm, heat rises and the generated energy is used efficiently. Go to http://www.thermoguy.com/globalwarming-heatloss.html so you can see inside the walls and pinpoint heat loss.

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Answer 6

Well you have some problems . I would suggest you check your windows if they are old I would replace them or caulk around them or maybe put plastic over them (you can buy kits at home improvement store) As for your vents you may want to call havc mechanic to check you heating and cooling units that is something for the pros.

Answer 7

My bathroom is like an outhouse in the winter and like a sauna in the summer it s on the south end of the home I put insulation and drywall up insulated the floor put storm windows on double layer plastic on the windows and double layered the curtains it does no good. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Answer 8

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RE :One room always hot in summer, cold in winter?
One bedroom in our house is always hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It is on the northeast corner of the house on the second level, and it has one wall of windows which makes it susceptible to outside temps. Plus, it has two forced air vents for heat and A/C, and they are located on the ceiling next to the window, and nothing ever seems to be coming out of these vents. You can feel a little air coming out but it doesn't seem to affect the temp of the room very much. There is a celing fan, and I think it makes the room warmer in summer from the energy burn, and cooler in the winter from the air circulation. Any suggestions? (This is our nursery so we want to fix the problem)
Follow 11 answers

Answer 9

Contact an efficiency expert, who can help you with insulation. sometimes, putting in a double paned window helps, and as far as the vents are concerned, maybe they are closed off, or not open enough.

Answer 10

That side of the house may not have been insulated properly- that was a problem with one room in our house.