Said It Here

Why is my attic apartment so hot in summer and cold in winter?

Attic apartments trap extreme heat from the roof while sharing a single HVAC sensor located elsewhere in the house, leaving the top floor sweltering at 80 degrees or freezing at 64. Because the central system cannot properly regulate the space, tenants are left struggling with unmanageable indoor temperatures and direct drafts from blowing vents.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Using an old window unit for summer cooling
  2. 2
    Using heated blankets or heating pads for winter warmth
  3. 3
    Applying heat-rejecting window film
  4. 4
    Using a blower-type fan
  5. 5
    Adding more floor insulation
  6. 6
    Installing ridge vents, soffit vents, or whirlybirds
  7. 7
    Adding powered attic fans or solar roof fans
  8. 8
    Applying radiant barrier foil

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

“Today I climbed up in my attic to check something and it was well past 150° in there, no exaggeration.”source ↗

“If my attic is going above 150° regularly there is no way that is not affecting my house.”source ↗

PoopsMcScoots · r/HomeImprovement · 74 upvotes

“It still is 100+ in Texas right now..”source ↗

Rorschach_1 · r/HomeImprovement · 4 upvotes

“the house is set to 73, hot or cold, but without additional items, it will be anywhere to 78-80s in the summer and 64ish in the winter.”source ↗

“the thing is a dinosaur that seems to be on its last legs. The sensor isn’t cooling to the right temperature and since it’s in the living room, it’s hard to have furniture and seating because the cold air is constantly blowing into the seating area.”source ↗

4thGenS · r/HomeImprovement · 3 upvotes

Where this came up

r/HomeImprovementattic ventilationenergy efficiencyheating and coolinghome improvement

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