Heat specialist for cold rooms?

Submitted by Granite017 t3_1260ska in boston

Hello, we are wondering if anyone has any recommendations for any specialist that might be able to help us out. We bought a house two years ago, one of the rooms is extremely cold in the winter, and this is a room where we would have a dining room table, spend plenty of time, etc. The house already has HVAC, which was redone when we moved in, but there are some intrinsic issues with the room itself that might be addressed. Thin porch roof, slab, window wall, etc. We are looking for any specialist in this type of thing that might be able to help us focus our resources on the best way to keep the area warm in the winter. I’m not sure if anything like this actually exists, but I figured I would ask, if anyone knows someone who has a particular skill set, I’d love to have the information. Thanks.

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Bahariasaurus t1_je6yi5h wrote

You could try this: https://www.eversource.com/content/residential/save-money-energy/energy-efficiency-programs/massachusetts-home-energy-assessment

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Granite017 OP t1_je6z7bi wrote

Did that, my house isn’t a candidate for the cellulose blower. My issue was pretty much specific to just one area of the house, not the entire house. Thanks for the recommendation though.

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Individual_Brick5537 t1_je99tkj wrote

Did they do the energy audit? Did they say you have sufficient insulation in the walls? Is it a matter of the hearing system not pushing enough heat to that room? What kind of heating system? Is there a vent or radiator in that room? Any other pertinent details?

Not enough heat in the room can only have two causes. 1) it’s leaking heat out, or 2) there’s not enough heat going in.

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Granite017 OP t1_je9l5aa wrote

It might be a combination of both. May be leaking heat from thin ceiling then roof which may but be well insulated. Andy there are only 2 vents up high blowing heat. Was not smartly right out when house was built, but other than tearing through the walls and doing a major Reno just for some extra duct work, not sure how to add more heat

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Individual_Brick5537 t1_je9ub0p wrote

One of the big perks of the MassSave program is an energy audit - they come through and do infrared scans of the walls and ceilings to see where you need insulation. Did they do that?

If you need insulation you just need insulation. Blow it in the walls, staple a blanket to your ceiling, whatever. (Don’t actually do that.) most of the insulation is covered or cheaper through masssave. Did they say that they can’t do anything for you?

I’m just confused about the available options and what you’ve done so far.

If you just need more heat, you can get a window unit heat pump. That’ll do AC and heat, and be pretty efficient to boot.

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MassholeAsswhole t1_je73j0y wrote

> the best way to keep the area warm in the winter.

What approach do you want? You can shore up the room to prevent heat loss $$$$$ or you can oversize a heating system to keep it warm $$$?

One involves a GC to help, the other a HVAC contractor.

I have the same issue in a very old house. The best long term is to get a GC to tighten your building envelope but the most costly upfront. The most economyupfront is to just oversize a unit but not economical long term.

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becausefrog t1_je7z677 wrote

We have a similar room, which is essentially a porch that has been converted into a room.

We were on a tight budget, so we thoroughly caulked all sides of the baseboards, electrical outlets, and around the window frames, put in a thick carpet and padding on the floor, heavy fabric drapes for the windows in winter (but we change them out in summer), and we use the plastic film and a humidifier in winter as well.

This helped a lot, but of course isn't enough when the temp drops below 20°F. At that point we use a 900 watt space heater, but it's only needed sparingly. That's the least expensive route, anyway.

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