Upstairs is to hot, I can't sleep.

If I could count how many times I have heard "my upstairs is to hot". Or " I have to set my thermostat to 70 degrees so my upstairs bed room is 77". This is a very common problem in 2-story homes in the midwest. A lot of southern climate homes have a seperate a/c for the upper level but in the midwest typically there is one furnace and a/c for the whole house.

Think about the 2nd story. There are 4 outside walls plus a roof. Most attics are 110-125 degrees on a hot summer day. That hot air wants to get into your home. Heat travels towards cold. Now when you only have one thermostat in the main level how does it know the bedrooms are hot? Duct systems are typically very poorly designed today and don't let enough cold air get to the up stairs.

So, now what do I do?
Well just add a second thermostat to the upper level. It isn't as easy as it sounds, but for a professional heating and cooling company it isn't that hard. They can add automatic dampers that will direct the cold air to the places in the home that need it. This allows you to keep you main level at a nice 75 degrees and your upstairs at 75. Or what ever temperature you like. The video on Arzel zoning does a nice job explaining it.

Arzel Zoning (may take a minute to load depending on your interent speed)

Accourding to Honeywell a typical home will save 20-25% on there heating and cooling bills by adding zoning to your home. Plus you can actually sleep good at night.

Oh, I almost forgot, if your basement is to cold in the winter, zoning can fix that also. Just another bonus.