You can show off beautiful craftsmanship and features like exposed beams, skylights, and chandeliers in a home with vaulted or cathedral ceilings.
- Did you know that high ceilings can affect your HVAC system and energy bills? A higher ceiling increases the area that can be heated or cooled by your HVAC system.
You can expect your system’s workload to increase if you move from a home with low ceilings to one with cathedral ceilings. This will result in higher energy bills. One way to compensate for the elevated ceilings is to install a right-sized HVAC system. Consider square footage, ceiling height, and other factors when sizing the system. Due to the design of the ductwork, high ceilings can also reduce the efficiency of your HVAC system. It’s important to remember that hot air rises. In the winter, most of your home’s heat will drift to the ceiling. It is very likely that in the summer, the air conditioner will have to work harder to keep the extra room cool. If you do not want to give up your high-level ceiling, you can work with a professional to install a low- and high-return air register in the room, instead of taking down your high-level ceiling. In the summer, you can shut down the lower return with dampers or magnetic covers and allow the high return to remove heat from the ceiling. As a result, a better build-up of cool air can be achieved. In the winter, however, you’ll need to do the opposite. The purpose of ceiling fans is to help distribute heated or cooled air more efficiently in rooms that have high ceilings. In the winter, run the fan blades in a clockwise direction so that heat from the ceiling can be removed and pushed downward by the fan. When you want to feel cooler in the summer, reverse the direction of the fan’s rotation to create a breeze that will cool you down.