I love summer. I love being out in the sun, going to the river, watching the gardens grow, seeing flowers everywhere. But one thing I hate about summer is how hot my room gets. My room never seems to cool down at all during the scorching summer days.
For you, maybe it’s your office or your kid’s room that seems to be way hotter than the rest of the house.
If you find yourself in a similar situation with your room or another room in your house, keep reading to find out some of the top reasons why your room is so hot.
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No AC Unit
One big reason your room, and home, could be hot is because there is no built-in AC unit.
My house has a heating system but not a cooling one, so it gets really hot fast in the summer. Most old houses don’t have a built-in cooling system.
There are a few things you can do to help get your room cooled down though.
One way is by opening your windows in the mornings and late evenings.
You can also put fans in your windows at those times of days as well.
Or you could buy an air conditioner. There are several different kinds of air conditioners that you can buy, some that stick out of a window and some that would have a part that stands inside your house.
Wrong AC Unit
Ever heard the saying bigger is better? Well when it comes to an AC unit, this is not true.
If the air conditioner is too big for the space, it will cool the house and your room, but it will still be humid in your house. This is because it will work in short and fast bursts, not giving the unit time to fully do its job.
But if the unit is too small, it won’t be able to cool down your entire house. It would also be on longer trying to get the house cool, meaning it will be using a lot of electricity.
It’s important to make sure the air conditioner you get is just the right size for your space to keep all of the rooms in your house cool.
Dirty AC Filter
Air conditioners have filters in them to trap dust so that the unit doesn’t get clogged. It also keeps all that dust out of the air.
But when the filter is dirty, it can’t get all the air through it. The air is fighting to get through that dirty filter but it just can’t, at least not enough of it can.
To prevent this from happening, make sure to clean the air filter every few months. With a clean filter, the air should hopefully be able to reach every room in the house to keep them nice and cool on these hot summer days.
Air Vents
If your room feels crazy hot and you have no idea why, take a quick look at your air vents. If the air vents in your room are closed then no cool air will be able to really get into your room.
You should be able to open them and angle where they are pointing to get the cool air to go where you want it to.
Also, make sure there is no furniture on top of or in front of the air vent. This would make it harder for cool air to get in the room since it’s trapped behind or under a piece of furniture.
It might mean some rearranging, but having the vent blocked by furniture will mean a lot less air gets into the room.
Poor Insulation
The insulation in your home could be the reason why your room is so hot. Insulation is supposed to block heat from your entire house. However, if you have an older house, it’s possible the insulation isn’t in good shape anymore.
The insulation in your room could also be patchy, meaning there are holes in it basically. It is very hard, nearly impossible really, to keep your house and room cool if the insulation in the house is not in good condition.
A quick way to test the insulation of your room and house is by touching the walls, floors, and ceilings. They should feel cool to the touch while the walls on the outside should feel warm.
Electronics
Everyone loves to have their electronics nearby, but some could be the reason why your room is so hot. Computers, especially ones with high graphics like gaming computers, monitors, TVs, even lights generate heat that will make any room hotter.
Make sure that when not in use to turn off all of your gadgets so that they stop generating heat.
You can also switch your lightbulbs to LED ones. LED lightbulbs produce less heat and, long term, help you save money because they don’t need to be replaced as often as non-LED lightbulbs. They also use less electricity than other light bulbs, another reason to switch even though they are a bit more expensive to buy.
Windows
There are several reasons why the windows in your room could be the problem of your hot room. Houses with old windows tend to get cracks which would leak hot air into your room.
The placement of your windows could also be a problem. If your windows get direct sunlight through them at any time of the day, it will make your room extremely hot. A way to combat this is by using black-out curtains (hung from a simple tension rod).
It’s also possible that your windows are too large. Everyone loves the idea of floor-to-ceiling windows, especially if you have an amazing view. But large windows let in more sunlight, quickly heating up your room. Getting curtains would, again, help combat the amount of let into your room.
You can go here to see other reasons why windows could be the reason why your room is so hot.
Addition
Home additions are awesome, adding more room to your home. But it could also be the reason why your room is so hot.
Some home additions don’t get more ductwork added to their home to go with the addition. This means that your room wouldn’t be getting any airflow into it. It’s also possible that your AC unit isn’t strong enough to get cool air into the added room.
If the addition was on top of a garage, the room would also be very hot. Most people are in and out of their garages a lot, letting in a lot of heat that will rise to the room above them.
One way to help get air to the room is by putting a fan in the hallway or doorway to bring cool air into the room, and just to get the air moving.
