# Room above garage



## rrange (Sep 7, 2008)

I have a room in my house that is above the garage, it's approximately 350sq ft, it's the only 2nd floor room, no door just stairs leading to it. I don't think the floor is insulated at all, it has it's own thermostat just for that room and I keep it at 74 degrees (same as rest of house), however most of the day it is at 76 or so and trying to cool down. I'm in Florida and once when the central air units stopped working, this room was up to 100 degrees in a matter of hours while the rest of the house was in the 80s.

I'm wondering if this room is the reason why my electric bill is at least twice what I think it should be compared to similar size homes I've lived in. It's a brand new house, everything is energy efficient. Could this room be sucking all the cool air from the rest of the house causing everything to work overtime?

I'm renting and was wondering what if anything I could bring to the landlords attention about this or perhaps do myself.


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## glennjanie (Sep 7, 2008)

Welcome RRange:
It sounds like the room doesn't have any insulation anywhere around it. If you don't use the room, you could consider closing it off with plastic and tape.
Glenn


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## rrange (Sep 8, 2008)

Hello, I use the room on an almost daily basis. It's a dedicated home theater, I may spend an hour or two in there a day.

Do you think this room could possibly be the reason for an electric bill twice as high as it should probably be? Would there be any benefit in setting the thermostat higher or would this room still suck the cool air from the rest of the house in?


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## kok328 (Sep 8, 2008)

Definitely sounds like an insulation issue.  Cool air drops, hot air rises.  The room is on the second floor w/open access so my guess is that all the heat is rising up to this room.  Is there any opportunity to close off the room by installing a door?
Yes, this could be the reason for excessive utility bills but, may not be the sole reason.  There could be other defficiencies elsewhere in the home that is adding to your problem.  If it's a new build and a rental, don't expect your landlord to make an investments in repair.


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