Keeping the upstairs of your home cool can be a challenge depending on your HVAC system and its condition. To keep the upstairs level of your home cool in hot weather, you can use window air conditioners, fans, programmable thermostats, or ventless air conditioners.

Heat naturally rises, which, in warmer weather, can get trapped in the upstairs level of your house when it isn’t being properly cooled or ventilated elsewhere. When that’s the case, it can make spending time in the upstairs area of your house pretty uncomfortable.

Luckily, you can make cooling your home a breeze by promoting optimal airflow. Opening or closing the right doors, blinds, and vents and strategically placing fans and air conditioners, for example, will make a world of difference—for both your own comfort and your wallet’s.

To help you beat the heat, check out these cool tips for keeping the upstairs level of your house cool from the

home

and car insurance super app

Jerry

Figure out if your current cooling system is faulty

If the second story of your house is too hot for your liking, take a look at your current cooling setup. Make sure your HVAC system is in good working order, and check your air ducts, seals, and insulation for any possible air leaks.

Another culprit could be your roof absorbing heat, which, since heat rises, gets trapped in your upper level and then has no other place to go.

Once you know what you’re working with in your home, you’ll be able to better remedy the situation.

Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds

No spam · No long forms · No fees

Find insurance savings

Use a window air conditioner

If you don’t have central AC, or your HVAC system isn’t working properly, investing in a window air conditioner can help cool air circulate through your home.

You can maximize a window air conditioner's impact by being strategic about where you place it upstairs. For example, to optimally cool a whole floor, you could place your air conditioner in a hallway window so that cool air can reach all the desired rooms.

Complement your air conditioner with a fan

Using a ceiling or floor fan to create some more air circulation might be enough on its own to cool your upstairs rooms. However, it also can complement the work your air conditioner’s already doing by circulating more air.

By placing a fan tilted toward the conditioner, warm air gets sent to the air conditioner to be cooled before it is circulated throughout your house. Alternatively, you can place a fan in the room with the air conditioner in such a way that it will blow cold air out the doorway and toward the next room you’d like it to reach.

MORE:

How to repair chipped tiles

Use a ventless portable air conditioner

Ventless air conditioners cool the air by releasing water vapor, much like a humidifier.

A container within the unit holds several gallons of water, and it uses a pump and a fan to take air from the room and pass it through a moistened filter. Air is then blown back into the room with more water vapor. In hot, dry weather, the evaporating water will help create a cooling effect in the room.

One perk about ventless portable air conditioners is that they can be more efficient than window air conditioners because they require just a fraction of the electricity. It should be noted, though, that they tend to work better in drier climates than wetter ones, where already-humid air prevents the evaporative effect needed for the cooler to be effective.

Get a programmable thermostat

If your thermostat is older, upgrading to a programmable thermostat could help you cool your house more efficiently.

With a programmable thermostat, you can set a daily schedule with multiple settings for when you want your air conditioner on or off, as well as what temperature you’d like it to be at various times.

Additionally, programmable thermostats can help you cut down on your bills. According to the

U.S. Department of Energy

, setting your thermostat back 7° to 10°F from its usual setting for eight hours per day could save you 10% on your annual heating and cooling costs.

Key takeaway: With a programmable thermostat, you can save money and energy by turning off or lowering your air conditioning at less crucial times.

Partially close downstairs registers

This simple house hack could make a bigger difference than you’d think. By just slightly closing your downstairs vents, where the cooler air in your house is already settling, you can help direct more cool air upstairs where it’s needed most.

Don’t cook or use your hairdryer during the hottest hours

If you don’t want your house to feel hotter, it’s best to avoid activities like cooking that will create more heat—especially during the hottest hours of the day. This saves energy, and it saves you unnecessary heat-induced misery.

Close (or open) the doors of rooms you don’t use

The way in which you’re cooling your house will determine whether it’s wiser for you to leave doors to unused rooms open or closed. Understand how your cooling system works to know what the better option will be.

It might seem counterintuitive, but if you’re using central air, which is designed to circulate cool air throughout your whole house, you’ll want to leave doors to rooms open to promote optimal airflow.

However, if you’re using a window air conditioning unit, you’ll instead want to close doors of rooms you don’t use as often to maximize the cold air getting delivered to the desired room(s).

Key takeaway: What kind of cooling system you use and how it works will determine whether you should leave doors to upstairs rooms open or closed.

MORE:

How to do summer car maintenance

Keep your blinds closed

Allowing sunlight to radiate through your windows can raise your indoor temperature. Consider closing your blinds on hot days, especially in south-facing windows, which will help combat that feeling.

It’s not only that: your blinds and curtains also help work as insulators to keep more warm air outside and more cool air inside.

Keeping your blinds closed, especially during the hottest parts of the day, is a simple yet effective strategy to keep your house a little bit cooler.

Make sure your attic is well-ventilated

The attic is one of the most notorious spaces in the home for trapping heat—both from what’s absorbed by your home’s roof and the air that rises inside your home.

Installing a vent or fan in your attic can help keep that cool air circulating and even help you save on your energy bill in the long run.

MORE:

What is the cheapest way to build a new house?

How to find affordable home (and car) insurance

Keeping your house cool in the summer could be a costly endeavor, but keeping your house insured doesn’t have to be!

Though looking for quotes generally means spending countless hours doing research and calling different companies, you can let someone else do the hard work for you!

Jerry

can help you bundle your car and

home insurance.

In a matter of moments, you can compare competitive quotes from a number of insurance companies. They’ll even help you cancel your old policy once you’ve made your choice.

“
Jerry
was wonderful! I used it for my auto and renters policies. I trusted it so much that I signed up my homeowners insurance under Jerry as well. All of the agents are amazingly nice and knowledgeable.” —Mary Y.

RECOMMENDED

Compare auto insurance policies

No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms

ZIP Code

Find insurance savings

Should my upstairs AC be set higher than downstairs?

If you have a thermostat both upstairs and downstairs, it’s generally recommended that you set the upstairs thermostat to your desired temperature, then set the downstairs thermostat to be two degrees warmer.

So if you set your upstairs thermostat to 73 degrees, you’ll want to set your downstairs one to 71 degrees. This will help to more efficiently balance the temperature and airflow in your house.

Bonus tip: Reverse this practice in colder months to continue saving money and energy year-round.

How do you evenly cool a two-story house?

To evenly cool a two-story house, consider window air conditioners, programmable thermostats, ventless air conditioners, and optimally ventilating your attic.

To help your current cooling system, be strategic about where you place fans and portable and window air conditioners. And don’t forget to evaluate your current cooling system for any needed tweaks, replacements, or repairs.

Save an average of 18% by bundling your home and auto insurance

Bundle your home and auto insurance with Jerry and save!

Try Jerry