In our Oklahoma climate with its hot summer weather, cooling your two-story home evenly can be frustrating and difficult. Dialing back the thermostat's temperature setting frequently to cool your uncomfortably warm second story can make the main floor rooms too chilly, and send your energy bills skyrocketing, too. Warm air's lower density is why it naturally rises, and this is a main reason for uneven cooling in a multi-story home.However, these other issues may be contributing to the problem as well:
Incorrect equipment sizing and advancing age.
Over- or under-sized equipment can short cycle or may not have enough capacity to provide sufficient cooling. If you have older equipment, its efficiency may be in decline.
Unchecked heat gains/losses.
Ductwork leaks, air losses through your home's conditioned envelope and inadequate insulation can make cooling less effective and/or reduce how much conditioned air gets delivered.
Flawed ductwork design.
Insufficient return airflow, inadequately-sized ducts or a lack of supply and return ducts can cause airflow imbalances that result in uneven cooling.
How to Achieve More Consistent Cooling
To enjoy greater comfort on all levels of your home, it's best to have a skilled contractor assess your HVAC system. You may be advised to:
Update your HVAC equipment.
It may be time to invest in a new air conditioner or heat pump if yours has a low SEER rating or is more than 10 years old.
Fix ducting flaws.
Sealing and insulating or replacing a poorly-designed duct system may help even out temperature differences by curbing conditioned air losses and/or improving airflow to the second level.
Seal and insulate.
Air sealing around your home's exterior and attic may preserve more HVAC output, while boosting insulation levels on the attic floor may improve your home's overall efficiency.
Install zoned cooling.
Having duct dampers and individual thermostats installed to create multiple cooling zones can provide more precise temperature control and more consistent comfort on each of your home's levels.
If you're experiencing problems with uneven cooling in your multi-level or two-story Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance for expert help finding effective solutions.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.