Problem Areas That Make Your Home Difficult to Heat

A reliable heating system is necessary to ensure your home remains comfortable during the winter. However, there’s more to proper heating than just this. After all, a heat pump or furnace tends to work harder than it should if the heat it produces doesn’t heat all the rooms evenly. This results in so-called hot and cold spots.

Uneven indoor temperatures is one of the most common issues in many homes, especially older ones. While upgrades like new windows or siding may help curb this issue, they don’t address the root cause. The sources of hot and cold spots go beneath the surface into areas you probably don’t often think about. Local HVAC replacement contractor Broom Heating & Air Conditioning discusses more below.

Keeping the Heat In

Your home’s building envelope plays a crucial role in ensuring indoor comfort as well as your heating system’s efficiency. It consists of the walls and floors on the above-grade (i.e. the rooms in your home) and below-grade areas (i.e. basements and crawl spaces), as well as windows and doors. Basically, it’s what separates your indoor environment from the elements outside. All of these components must work together in controlling the flow of heat, air and moisture from the inside to the outdoors.

Remember that heat moves to wherever there’s a temperature difference. Hot air indeed rises, but this doesn’t always mean most of it goes through the ceiling. Heat moves in any direction as long as there’s a cold spot. Thus, a few chinks in the building envelope can be a major source of heat loss, with the inside air being forced out and incoming replacement air bringing drafts and dry winter air. This results in a myriad of problems, including moisture damage, mold and mildew growth and HVAC inefficiency.

Identifying the Most Common Weak Points

Knowing the weak points in your home’s building envelope can help address the problem of uneven heating in the winter. Here’s a look at some of the most common that HVAC specialists and home energy auditors find in many homes.

• Attic Hatch

Without proper sealing and insulation, the entryway leading up to your attic can allow air to leak both into and out of it. Thermal imagery using an infrared camera can help reveal the amount of heat being transferred through this weak spot.

• Attic Fixtures

Holes and cracks created by recessed lighting fixtures, electrical wiring and pipes create invisible little wind tunnels in your home. Add all of these up and you have unwanted airflow that’s equivalent to leaving a window open for an entire year.

• Top Plates of Wall Frames

The “top plate” is the upper horizontal framing member of a stud wall and is the part where the attic floor and wall frames meet. Unfortunately, it’s also a major source of heat loss because it’s usually hollow and uninsulated, so much so that it’s one of the first areas the pros examine during home energy audits.

• Attic Floor

The  lack of attic insulation can cause indoor heat to escape through the ceiling and into the attic, causing your heat pump or furnace to work harder to compensate for uneven indoor temperatures. In the summer, the attic space can get so hot that the heat penetrates through the floor below. The Department of Energy recommends at least 15 inches of insulation—with a thermal value of R49—on the attic floor.

• The Underside of the Roof Slope

Your home’s roofing system protects you, your family and your valuables from the elements. However, it’s not designed to keep indoor and outdoor temperatures separate. This is one reason why the underside of the roof slope should also be properly insulated, like the attic floor. Otherwise, heat will escape your home too fast in the winter, which can lead to damaging ice dams.

• Basement

The basement is also a likely place to look for any indications of heat loss. While about 1% of lost heat goes through the floor, up to 20% of the same moves through the walls. Without proper sealing and insulation, the basement can get damp and moldy, causing both safety and comfort concerns.

• Crawl Spaces

The narrow, unfinished space between your basement and first floor is like a big box of cold air, making floors and the rooms above feel cold during the winter. This can also lead to frozen pipes and issues concerning mold and dust.

Ensuring a Tight Building Envelope

An energy-efficient home starts with a tight building envelope. Several fundamentals that focus on design and energy efficiency must be followed, including proper insulation, selective glass glazing for windows, strategies such as daylighting, passive solar design and maintenance of important home systems such as heating and cooling units. All of these elements ensure the separation of indoor and outdoor environments, as well as a reduction in energy consumption.

Along with identifying the weak points in your home that are causing uneven heating in the winter, another thing you should focus on is the HVAC system itself. For your heat pump or furnace to work effectively, it must be maintained through routine checks by a professional contractor. Problems arising from uneven heating include the following:

• Clogged air filter – Too much dust on the air filter slows down the heating unit’s airflow. Cleaning or replacing the filter will solve this problem.
• Ductwork issues – Your home’s ductwork should be working properly for heat to be distributed evenly throughout your home. Leaks or improperly-sized ducts prevent warm air from getting to each room.
• Incorrectly-sized HVAC system – Another reason why heat distribution is insufficient in many homes is improperly-sized heat pumps or furnaces. A unit that’s too small won’t have enough power to provide warm air to each room. If it’s too big, it will likely turn on and off faster than expected.

The right HVAC system, the quality of installation and the frequency of maintenance make a huge difference in ensuring consistent indoor comfort during the winter. To get the most out of your investment, turn to Broom Heating & Air Conditioning. We have the experience and resources to handle any heating problem, no matter how complex.

You can count on us for your electrical repair needs as well. Call (803) 754-5466 or fill out our contact form to request a free estimate.