Ceiling height is important in determining the size of an air conditioner or furnace needed to heat or cool your home efficiently. A home with high ceilings has more air volume compared to a house with a standard ceiling height. The standard ceiling height is about 8 feet.
Therefore, if your ceiling height is above 8 feet, then the efficiency of your HVAC system may be negatively affected, especially if you did not consider the ceiling height when installing the HVAC system. Below are some ways that ceiling height affects the comfort level of your home. This article also discusses how an undersized HVAC system may struggle to maintain the temperature you set, resulting in frequent repair costs and possible replacement expenses.
Warm Air Collects at the Top of Your House
Vaulted ceilings give a home a light and airy feeling. You may have recently renovated your home to include this feature or moved into a new home with lofty ceilings. Unfortunately, you may have noticed that the rooms with increased ceiling height remain cold despite turning up the heat during winter. Additionally, you may be uncomfortably hot when you go to bed in one of the upstairs rooms at night. This is because the warm air your HVAC system produces gets trapped at the top of your house.
Alternatively, during summer, you may have noticed that the area with a high ceiling quickly gets to a comfortable temperature or is even too chilly when the air conditioning kicks on. However, upstairs bedrooms remain hot and stuffy. This is because the cool air produced by your air conditioner air sinks to the bottom floor of your house.
Ceiling Fans Can Help
Having ceiling fans installed in the rooms of your house with high ceilings can be an energy-efficient way to deal with uneven heating and cooling. During the dog days of summer, your fan blades should spin counterclockwise. When your ceiling fan turns in this direction, it pushes air down. This helps keep a room’s temperature even throughout the day and increases your and your family’s comfort level.
Alternatively, in the winter, your ceiling fan should be turning clockwise. This will push warm air down and away from your high ceilings and redistribute the warmth throughout your home. Using your fan this way should also save you money on energy costs because your furnace will be running less.
Another benefit of ceiling fans is that they can freshen the air in your home. You may have noticed that when a family member prepares food downstairs, pungent odors tend to rise to the top of your house. Ceiling fans will move the air and stop the smell of garlic or other food from making it hard to sleep when you go upstairs to sleep at night.
Ceiling fans are great for getting the air moving in your home to make you and your family more comfortable. However, if the size of your HVAC system is not a good fit for your house, it is only a partial solution. Continue below to learn more about HVAC systems that are too small for the house they are installed in.
High Ceilings Make Your HVAC System Less Efficient
As mentioned at the beginning, the higher the ceilings, the more space your HVAC system has to heat or cool.
In the summer, you may have noticed your air conditioner is running all the time. When operating correctly, your air conditioner should have on and off cycles determined by the temperature you set on your thermostat. The system kicks on when your house gets hot enough to trigger your set point. It begins to suck in warm air from your home and, with the help of refrigerant and other internal processes, cools the air before returning it to your house through your vents. Once the cool air from your air conditioner has decreased the temperature of your living space to your desired level, the system turns off. A regular cycle should last about a half hour. Your air conditioner running all the time indicates that it is too small, probably causing your cooling costs to skyrocket. You may need to upgrade to a system appropriate to your home’s square footage to make your system more efficient.
In the winter, having a furnace that is too small for your home causes the same kind of issues as having an undersized air conditioner. The heating system won’t be able to keep up with the dropping temperatures outside. The furnace will kick on often or even run non-stop in an attempt to push enough hot air through your vents to warm your house to the temperature you have set on the thermostat. On the other hand, a furnace that is the right size for your home can do a much better job of keeping household members comfortable during frigid winter days. It would also be more efficient because it would not be running as frequently, reducing your energy expenses.
Repair and Replacement Costs
A significant issue with an air conditioner or furnace that is too small for your home is that it may wear out quickly because it runs all the time. When you purchase an air conditioner and furnace, they usually have an expected lifetime advertised by the manufacturer. Unfortunately, if your HVAC system is not large enough for the space in your home, your air conditioner and furnace may need to be replaced far before their expected lifetime ends. This results in the large expense of buying a new system before you should have to.
At the same time that the clock is ticking down faster than it should on your HVAC system, your undersized air conditioner and furnace probably need to be repaired more often than if you had a system appropriate to the size of your home. This ends up costing you a lot of money in repair costs.
Deciding on a New HVAC System
If you decide to have a new HVAC system installed, it is a great idea to consult with a local professional. HVAC professionals have had training on what size system is most effective for a given living space. They also have knowledge that will allow them to recommend the best furnaces and air conditioners on the market. Trust a professional to assess your home’s HVAC needs and suggest a system that will keep your family comfortable while keeping repair costs and utility bills as low as possible.
Get Started With Polar Air & Heating, Inc.
Are you looking for trustworthy and professional HVAC services in Las Vegas? At Polar Air & Heating, Inc., we offer fast and reliable HVAC services that will meet your individual needs. Whether you need a consultation on buying the right sized HVAC system for your home or you need an expert to inspect why your HVAC system is acting up, Polar Air & Heating, Inc. has your back.
Our HVAC experts have had extensive training and practical experience installing HVAC systems in our customers’ homes and businesses. We take great pride in our work and aim to build long trusting relationships with clients by delivering the best results possible. You can count on us for a full line of other services as well, including indoor air quality, commercial, new constructions, and emergency repairs.
Contact Polar Air & Heating, Inc. today to speak to an HVAC expert about ways to increase the efficiency of your HVAC system.
