What is the most energy efficient configuration for cooling a two story house with a large open floor plan if no one lives upstairs?
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We live in Texas where it reaches 90+ degrees (30 celsius) every day for probably 4 months out of the year. Our house has a large open living room so running the upstairs A/C seems (I would think) a little futile since all the cold air should be falling to the first floor. Since no one lives upstairs and we only go up there occasionally, I am wondering if we should just turn off the upstairs A/C unit. I googled the idea and most posts recommend keeping the upstairs and downstairs thermostats set to approximately the same temperature for the most efficient use of energy. But, I am wondering if this advice is predicated upon the assumption that you want to keep the upstairs cooled too. Any thoughts on whether it will over tax our downstairs unit or be worse from an energy efficiency perspective if we were to simply turn off the upstairs unit? Thanks!
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Answer:
I would consider insulating the upper from the lower and cooling just the lower unit. I would seal off the unused space except for a hatch for access, then make sure that the upstairs is subject to cross-ventilation to stop the heat-sink effect of an unconditioned space. There are additional issues with humidity, etc. A poor job of separating the spaces into individual units with regard to HVAC (heating, ventilating, air conditioning) could actually cause damage in terms of moisture control, or lack thereof, window condensation, and so forth. It is absolutely essential that you ventilate the unused space.
Ken Streiff at Quora Visit the source
Other answers
If you choose not to cool the upstairs, it would act as a greenhouse for heat. That heat is then transferred to the lower level, which would cause a high load on the AC system dramatically increasing running costs. If you do choose to go with cooling both floors, you can set the upstairs thermostat to a higher temperature (i.e. 75°). That way, the cooling system won't be running as often to cool the upstairs while keeping it cool enough to prevent a high load on the downstairs unit. Like Ken mentioned, checking for insulation between the floors will help quite a bit.
Jon Hammett
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