Among all the mysteries in the world, there is one mystery various house holders are often found resolving.
Why is my room hotter than the rest of the house?
Why is my house so hot with the AC on?
Why is my room hotter at night?
And it goes on.
You’ve tried lowering the temperature of your thermostat, kept windows closed, but nothing’s worked so far.
The problem might however, go a little deeper than that. Here are a few reasons why you could be facing this issue, followed by a few solutions to tackle this problem.
5 Reasons Your Room is Hotter than the Rest of Your House
Here are the most common reasons that result in your room being the hottest in house:
1. Your HVAC System is the Wrong Size
A classic example to explain the science of a HVAC system would be that of different sized people. While some of us are overweight, others underweight, we all have different needs based on our size.
Similarly, bigger rooms in our houses need more and less time based on a variety of factors: the number of windows, the floor where the room is located, how far it is from the AC unit, etc. A smaller system may affect the cooling of your rooms since it might fall short of the required load that it is supposed to handle.
Rooms in the upper story of the house are more prone to get heated up quickly and a single zoned cooling system fails to cool up the rooms located there. An oversized system would cool up some rooms too fast, leaving others too warm.
2. Clogged Air Ducts
Air ducts are responsible for transporting the warm or cool air to your rooms, so if you’ve been experiencing some problems with your cooling/heating lately, it is most likely due to clogged air ducts. Another trouble with air ducts could be a possible leak. Cool air may get wasted on its way and ultimately only result in a hike in utility bills without actually cooling the rooms.
Therefore, it is important to get your ducts checked for leaks every few months and get them repaired, if any.
3. Your Windows are the Culprit
Bad insulation is the biggest reason behind your high utility bills. Rooms with more windows get heated up faster and whats worse is that all the cool air could be sneaking out of your poorly insulated windows and doors. As a result of this, your cooling system will have to maintain the temperature set on the thermostat to cool other rooms whilst overheating your lounge where it is often located.
4. Fewer Return Vents
Air conditioners not only blow cool air in your rooms but are also responsible for pulling hot air out of the room to maintain the set temperature. One of the very common structural problems residents of older homes face is fewer return vents.
Inadequate return vents decrease the amount of warm air sucked out of the room, which keeps your room’s temperature high despite the air condition running. One solution to that is asking an AC expert to add more vents, however if you’re looking for a more budget friendly solution, then keeping your rooms open for manual ventilation may also help.
5. Appliances may be Heating up the Room
If you work from home or have a lot of appliances in the room, the room is bound to get hotter than other rooms. Heat released from processors and compressors of electronics definitely give the room temperatures a rise. Even a mini refrigerator can generate a lot of heat for a small room and a closed space.
How to Fix a Hot Room in Your House?
Every problem comes with a solution and so does this heating problem of your room. You can bring down your room temperatures by following a couple of home remedies. If you’re looking for a more permanent solution, it’s always a good idea to invest in some cooling technologies like Chilipad and a dehumidifier.
In this section, we discuss multiple ways to keep your room cool in the scorching heat.
1. Get a Chilipad
Although this appliance won’t do much to bring your room’s overall temperature down, it sure is a blessing when it comes to sleeping comfortably, since it cools down your bed by allowing you to set your desired temperature.
The Chilipad is basically a mattress pad with several micro-tubes that transport water at the set temperature, giving off a cooling sensation that keeps your bed cool through the night.
This way you can keep your air conditioning costs under control since this appliance doesn’t have to run all day or cool the entire room. With its dual zone model, you can set two different temperatures for either side of the bed, ideal for couples and people who share beds.
2. Use a Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier when used with an air conditioner helps with its cooling since it absorbs all the excess moisture in the air. This way your air conditioner needs to run for lesser time than usual, keeping your room cool and your electricity bills under control.
3. DIY Solutions
Beat the heat with some budget friendly and strategic solutions. if your room has a lot of windows, it is bound to get hot faster than any other room. Now you might hate doing so, but you need to keep the windows covered with blinds/curtains during the day time when the sun is bright.
This will considerably reduce the amount of heat absorbed. A similar strategy would be to get your windows insulated better. This helps you in two ways. It keeps the air conditioned cooling inside the room and prevents extra heat from creeping into the bedroom through the windows.
Heat reflecting films that stick on to windows are also an amazing and inexpensive option when it comes to warding off heat and light. Since all (or a major chunk) of the heat and light striking the windows is reflected back, your room remains cooler and safe from UV rays. This is ideal for bedrooms with larger or multiple windows.
Planting trees and smaller plants outside the bedroom’s window not only give you a great view but do quite a good job in keeping temperatures under control. Overhangs and awnings hung outside the windows are also some natural ways to control the amount of heat that enters your room.