A home with a cathedral or high ceiling can be stylish because it allows you to show off great craftsmanship and features like skylights, chandeliers and beams. However, high ceilings can have an impact on the efficiency and energy consumption of your AC unit.
High ceilings open up the inside of the house, making the rooms appear more spacious. The heat produced by an air conditioner usually rises. If your house has a high ceiling, then the extra overhead space will accumulate excessive heat closer to the ceiling.
In winter, this house would be colder in compared to a standard room. You will have to adjust thermostat settings to generate more heat – meaning more heating costs. Luckily, you can do a number of things to resolve this issue. One of them is installing the right-size HVAC system in your home.
Ductwork Design
High ceilings can easily reduce the efficiency of your AC unit because of the ductwork design. When hot air rises, most of the heat around your home will shift towards the ceiling in winter. This means the AC unit will have to work extra hard to cool the room during summer.
You can work with a professional HVAC technician from Gatewood Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. to include a low-and-high-return air register in your high-ceiling house and still feel comfortable. You can then shut down the lower return in summer using dampers or magnetic covers.
Another alternative is to use ceiling fans. Ceiling fans can help distribute heated or cooled air in high-ceiling rooms more efficiently. During winter, run the fan blades clockwise to transfer heat from the ceiling and move it downwards. Do the opposite in summer to circulate more heat and make the house cooler.
A Professional HVAC Company
Gatewood Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. is dedicated to providing excellent heating and cooling services to the people of Sonora, CA and its environs. We also provide indoor air quality services. Contact us today to learn more about our services.