Local temperatures have already surpassed 100 degrees this year and it’s only July! How is your home comfort holding up? The Greater Rochester area is known for its hot and humid summers, but unfortunately that can make maintaining indoor temperatures a challenge for homeowners—especially on the second floor.
Wise Home Energy has been helping homeowners in Genesee, Monroe, and surrounding counties find a reliable solution for improved comfort, efficiency, and indoor air quality since 2010. One of the most common problems we solve is a hot second floor. We offer comprehensive home performance and HVAC services tailored to the specific needs of your home that target the source of recurring issues, and don’t just offer temporary fixes. Here’s how we can help:
The Source of Second Floor Comfort Issues
Warm air naturally rises, which makes your second floor vulnerable to heat gain. However, if you also experience drafty rooms upstairs throughout the winter, the problem is likely due to air leakage, poor insulation, or both!
- Air Leakage – Unsealed gaps and cracks in your home allow hot air to infiltrate and cool air to escape, making it difficult to maintain a consistent temperature. This problem is often more pronounced on the second floor due to the stack effect, where warm air rises and escapes through the upper levels, pulling in hot air from outside.
- Poor Insulation – Inadequate insulation, especially in your attic, allows heat to penetrate your home, causing temperatures to rise. Without proper insulation, the cool air from your air conditioning system is less effective at maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature.
The Solution: Insulation & Air Sealing
Before addressing your hot second floor with a replacement HVAC system, Wise Home Energy recommends ensuring that your home’s barrier is protected with air sealing and insulation. Having a properly sealed and insulated home is essential to maintaining stable indoor temperatures at any time of the year because the two work together to combat air movement and heat transfer. Attic insulation is also crucial in combating the stack effect, which is a common source for a variety of second floor comfort issues. To ensure we are suggesting the right improvements for your home, Wise will diagnose current conditions with a series of building science test at your home energy assessment.
Upgrading your air sealing and insulation will not only help your home’s second level maintain more stable temperatures, it will also:
- Lower energy bills
- Improve indoor air quality
- Reduce HVAC wear & tear
- Prevent ice dams
- And more!
Save on Home Upgrade with NYSERDA Incentives
There are many incentives available for Rochester-area homeowners that can help make air sealing and insulation more affordable. As a qualified NYSERDA contractor, Wise Home Energy gives you access to significant savings through their rebate programs, such as:
- Comfort Home Program – Rebates up to $4,000 for qualified air sealing, insulation, and window improvements
- Empower+ Program – Rebates for low to moderate income households, up to $10,000 for qualified insulation and air sealing improvements, heat pump installation, and more
Get Started with a No-Cost Home Energy Assessment
NYSERDA also offers a no-cost home energy assessment for all one-to-four family homes in New York, which is an essential first step to effectively solving comfort issues. Wise Home Energy will run several tests and utilize our building science expertise to gain a whole-home perspective and identify areas of inefficiencies. Home energy assessments allow our team to build a customized plan of action that gets to the root cause of the problem, leaving you with a more comfortable, efficient, durable, and healthy home.