Temperature fluctuations can happen anywhere in your home. It might feel frigid upstairs even though you have toasty temperatures on the main level. You set the thermostat and expect your heating and cooling to respond appropriately, but that isn’t always the case. Your bonus room could be cold for a few different reasons. Taking a closer look at some of the possible causes can give you the insight you need to fix the problem for good.
3 Reasons for Your Cold Bonus Room
Having a cold bonus room over the garage is one of the most common heating issues for homeowners. Whether you’re using the space as an office, the kids’ playroom, or just another area for lounging, you want it to be as cozy as the rest of your home. Honing in on these scenarios can help.
1. Poor home insulation
Noticing an extreme temperature swing when you walk into a room is a sure sign of trouble. Some bonus rooms shift as much as 10 degrees from the rest of the house. One reason for this could be poor insulation. If you don’t have a good barrier between the garage ceiling and the base of your bonus room—or from the attic area above your bonus room—then it will be difficult for the space to retain heat. This is especially true during colder weather.
Adding some new insulation to your walls and ceiling might be enough to fix the issue. Spray foam insulation, for example, has become popular because it can provide more complete coverage. Of course, if you don’t want to go that route, there are other options.
2. Too many drafts coming in
Another reason why your bonus room is so cold might be from drafts. Instead of the warm air escaping, you could be looking at cold air coming in through gaps and spaces between your windows and the walls. When you place your hand over those seams, do you feel a draft coming inside? That could be your problem.
To keep your bonus room more sealed off from the elements, you’ll want to make sure you have enough caulk around your windows. This will work to cut off any drafts that are sneaking in. Plus, it’s a good practice to follow in any room of your home. The better insulated and sealed your home is, the better off you’ll be with your energy expenses. These are relatively minor fixes, though. For some homes, you might need to opt for a more robust solution to regulate your bonus room’s temperature.
3. You need a mini-split for comfort
Correcting an ongoing heating issue can make a big difference in how relaxed you are at home. You shouldn’t have to bundle up with sweaters and blankets just to keep from shivering. When your bonus room can hold a reasonable temperature throughout the year, you’ll really be able to enjoy and make the most of that space. Installing a mini-split system can give you the control you need for a cold bonus room.
These units work with specific areas or zones of your home. Instead of relying on one thermostat to balance out every room, a mini-split lets you target those problem places directly. Working with your local HVAC company can help you take care of those hot and cold spots for good. It usually only takes a quick visit to determine the right temperature control solution for your home.
If you’re in the greater Indianapolis area, let our team at LCS Heating & Cooling help you analyze your options. We’re happy to provide FREE sales calls so you can learn more about your home’s current heating and cooling setup. Feel free to give us a call at (317) 238-3961.
When the heatwaves start heading in, we all want to have a cool place to retreat indoors. Of course, we’d rather not drive up our energy bills to keep things comfortable! A little common sense can help you manage your cooling costs this summer. Use these tricks to get the most out of your AC unit—especially during triple-digit days outside.
1. Adjust your ceiling fans
One way to better regulate your indoor temperature is to change how your ceiling fan blades rotate throughout the year. In the winter, we want warm air to circulate. Adjusting your fan so it pulls air up encourages cooler air to mix with the heat that rises to your ceilings, making your room feel warmer. On most ceiling fan models, this happens when the blades run clockwise.
For the summertime, though, it’s better to have air moving down and away from the fan. The angle of your blades impact which direction they should spin this time of year, but typically it’s counterclockwise. This will add a cool breeze in your room—which is a nice bonus to how your AC is already working.
To test this, all you have to do is stand beneath the ceiling fan. If you feel cool air blowing down on you, then you’ll know you’re set! Otherwise, just flip the little switch on the base of your fan. This will tell the blades to move in the opposite direction. Run your fan on high during hot days, and you’ll really put them to good use!
2. Turn on the exhaust fans
The next thing to watch for in summer is how you manage the hot air in your kitchen and bathroom. Warm showers and hot cooktops add extra heat to your home. Being able to push that air outside can help keep things cooler.
The primary function of your exhaust fan in the bathroom is to reduce your risk of growing mold and mildew in the bathroom. You can turn it on to minimize that muggy, humid feeling. This is important when you’re creating steam in the shower, but it also benefits your home’s AC. You can turn on your exhaust fan whenever the air in the room is feeling thick.
This works for your kitchen too. Use your exhaust fan to pull heat away and out of the room. You don’t have to run these fans for long to make a difference. And when the weather is smoldering outside, every little bit counts.
3. Watch your open doors
Another way to reduce the heat in your home is to keep that cool air in its place—inside! Going in and out of the house for chores in the backyard just gives that cold air more chances to escape. Then your AC has to work harder to make up the difference. The same can be said about your garage door. We see a lot of people leave it up when they’re at home. Again, that just creates opportunities for the hot summer weather to impact your temperature indoors. Keep that garage door down so it becomes another barrier against the heat.
Of course, if you have dramatic temperature swings throughout your home, it might be time to consider other solutions. Looking into zoning for your home can be a great way to direct how your AC and furnace work throughout the year. You divide rooms or levels into distinct zones. This gives each area its own thermostat. Then you can really have control over the temperature in your home.
Hopefully you’ve already gotten your AC unit serviced for the hot weeks ahead, but if not, you can always give our team a call at (317) 238-3961. We’d be happy to come out and get your home (or business!) squared away. After that, just follow these easy tips to keep cool this season. Your air conditioner will thank you!
No one wants to spend more money on their bills. You should only pay for what you need, right? Yet some HVAC setups don’t work that way.
Every now and then, we see homes that consistently waste energy by heating or cooling rooms that you don’t even use. And when that happens, you end up overpaying on your energy bills. If your HVAC system can be organized the right way, you only use what you need. Your home’s warm or cool air can get directed where you actually want it. That way, you won’t get overcharged for your energy usage. The setup is called zoning.
About HVAC Whole-Home Zoning
Homes with HVAC zoning can regulate their energy usage much more efficiently. With these setups, your system won’t automatically heat or cool areas of your home that don’t need it. And without zoning? Well, it’s kind of like having every lightbulb in your home turn on when you flip the switch on your bedside lamp. You might only need a couple rooms cooled, but your HVAC is trying to lower the temp everywhere in your home.
Unfortunately, not all homes can be zoned. It just depends on how easily you can access your ductwork (since no one really wants to tear into their walls). But if your home does happen to be a good candidate for zoning, it’s a huge win. Because zoning lets you pick and choose where your heating and cooling efforts actually go, you’ll start raking in the savings right away. The systems themselves are pretty straightforward, too.
To start, your HVAC company would need to come out to analyze your home’s layout. Based on that information and your lifestyle, they’ll be able to designated “zones” for your home. Each zoned section would get its own thermostat to control that area. So, for example, if you don’t want to adjust the temperature in your guest room, a zoning system could be a great way to bypass heating or cooling that space.
Good Zoning System Strategies
Questions about why your home is warmer or colder upstairs vs. downstairs are pretty common in the HVAC world. This suggests that a lot of homeowners are already thinking about getting a zoning system before they even realize there’s a name for it! The following scenarios are all good signs that your home might benefit from this kind of setup:
- Multi-story home
- High, cathedral ceilings
- Finished living space in basement or attic
- Above-garage bonus room or apartment
- Lots of large windows, and/or sunroom
If you find a lot of temperature swings in different rooms of your home and you have one of the above home features, there’s a good chance zoning would be a smart upgrade—if your ductwork can support it. A consultation with your local HVAC company can help you know for sure.
Other HVAC Zoning Benefits
In addition to lower energy bills every month, whole-home zoning systems can also extend the life of your existing HVAC equipment. Lower demand results in less wear and tear on the heating and cooling elements throughout the year—all while getting a more comfortable home.
If you want an even better deal, consider connecting your zoned system with some programmable thermostats. When every aspect of your home’s heating and cooling is energy-efficient, you’ll start seeing some really significant savings. These types of upgrades make your home more desirable too, so even if you end up moving later on, you can still bank a solid ROI.
Got other questions about HVAC zoning? Homeowners in the greater Indianapolis area can always give LCS Heating & Cooling a call. We’d be happy to talk with you over the phone or in-person during an in-home consultation. Contact us today to get your appointment scheduled, and start getting the benefits of whole-home zoning for yourself!