7 Reason Why Is My Apartment So Hot?

A home is the one place we love to retreat to after a long day at work or on other duties. That’s why most people love their homes to be as comfortable as possible. The comfort, however, can be hard to achieve if your apartment is hot.

The furnace-like conditions in your house might have had you wondering, why is my apartment so hot? We have the reasons here and what you can do to restore that comfortable coolness you love.

But before we get to that,

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What Temperature is Considered Too Hot for An Apartment?

Heat tolerance levels vary from person to person. That only means that what’s hot to one person might only be warm to another person. Having said that, what’s the threshold for hotness in an apartment?

Although different people have different comfort levels, an apartment should have temperatures from 68 to 78 Fahrenheit. Anything above that is too hot for an apartment.

It is, however, worth noting that this might vary with people and their heat tolerance. For some people, a higher temperature would be better.

The Most Common Causes of Your Apartment’s Heat

The weather is the most ubiquitous reason for an apartment overheating. If you notice your apartment seems too hot, perhaps it could all be down to the weather. The summer will typically be the hottest time of the year.

However, you might notice that sometimes it’s just too hot, even in the winter. If that’s the case, then any of the below things could be the causes.

You live on the top floor

Top-floor apartments endure most of the heat that rises from the flats below. While that could be something delightful in the colder months of the year, it would make your apartment a nightmare in the summer.

The walls of your top-floor apartment trap and store the hot air that rises from the lower floors. That makes your apartment feel like a furnace, especially when it’s hot outside.

If the people below you also have heaters and use them regularly, your apartment will be hot.

Poor Air Flow In your Apartment

The airflow determines the movement of heatwaves through your house. Therefore, if your home has poor airflow, then it will become hot. The most common cause of poor airflow is closing the windows.

Without the windows open, the heat can’t get an avenue to leave the house through. Heat doesn’t have to come from outside since the house walls will emit the heat they absorb from its occupants and the appliances they use.

You Are Running Too Many Heat Emitting Appliances

Sometimes your apartment might be hot because of the appliances you are using. Computers, space heaters, or iron boxes are some appliances that might crank up the apartment temperature.

Poor Air Conditioning System

If you have an air conditioning system but still feel the heat in your apartment, then there could be a problem. Defective air conditioning systems usually make things worse instead of making them better.

A defective air conditioning system, however, might not be the only issue. Maybe you have a relatively small air conditioning system relative to your apartment’s size. Such a unit would struggle to cool down such a large apartment.

Another issue to look out for is a dirty air conditioner filter. The filter has an integral role in the AC. Suppose it is dirty the AC won’t function properly. You will, therefore, end up having a hot apartment.

The Windows are Letting in Too Much Heat

If you happen to live on the top floor, that means you get to deal with the direct rays of the sun for significant parts of the day. The heat will get to your apartment through the windows.

That’s a common occurrence if you don’t drop the blinds when the sun is at its hottest.

Clogged Air Vents

This is also a common culprit in furnace-like apartments. Blocked vents prevent the entry of air into your apartment and thus interfere with the cooling. Besides that, they will also make your AC unit overwork to compensate for the poor airflow.

While it is common to hear many people say that closing the vents will improve the AC’s functioning, that couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Uninsulated Windows

Although modern houses do have insulated windows, most of the old houses don’t. If you live in such an apartment, it is common to experience sweltering temperatures, whether at night or during the day.

Uninsulated windows allow the heat to enter right in even if you have locked them. They also do the same for the cool air in the house, which escapes through the windows, making the apartment only hotter.

What Should You Do If It’s Too Hot in Your Apartment?

If your apartment is too hot in the summer, you might think there will be little you can do to alleviate the situation. That, however, shouldn’t discourage you since there are several ways you can get around that.

Get Air Conditioning

If you don’t have an air conditioner, a hot apartment might be the reason you need to get one. Air conditioners will enable you to enjoy cooler temperatures, provided you place them strategically in your house.

If you place them wrongly, you could have some cool rooms and others hot.

Check for Problems with Your AC Unit

If you have an AC unit but are still grappling with hot temperatures, you need to check it. Ost times you will find that its filters are dirty and thus can’t work efficiently to enjoy the cool breeze you want.

Apart from the filter, the fan could also have issues that interfere with the proper functioning of the AC. For this, you might have to call in a specialist to help. If you find only the dirt that’s the problem, you can sort that yourself.

Open the Windows

One benefit of living in top-floor apartments is opening the windows and enjoying the breeze. Opening the windows will enable the airflow in your apartment to improve and thus make it cooler.

Opening windows, especially when cooking, is an efficient way to allow the heat to escape. When cooking, the temperatures will inevitably increase. That’s why opening the windows when cooking will improve the airflow. It will also ensure the walls don’t absorb all the heat, only to release it when you are asleep.

If your apartment is so hot at night, you could sleep with your windows open. That would, however, depend on the security situation wherever you live.

Open the Air Vents

Check the air vents for any blockages and open them. Air vents are also another way cooler air will enter your apartment apart from the windows. That will improve the airflow and make it easier for the Ac to work if you have one.

Switch Incandescent for LED Light Bulbs

If you didn’t know it before, incandescent light bulbs would emit a significant amount of heat that could make your apartment hotter. That’s why it’s a good idea to switch them with LED bulbs that don’t emit as much heat.

Get a Fan and Reduce the Use of Heat Emitting Appliances

You should reduce the number of heat-emitting appliances you use in your house. If you have space heaters that are always on, then maybe you need to switch them off.

You could also improve the situation by getting fans. Fans are an excellent way to create a cross breeze since the wind will not always cooperate. Place the fan near the windows to your apartment, then power it up to blow air away from your house to the outside.

That will create a cross breeze that will make your house considerably cooler. That’s because the draft will get rid of the hot air and make your apartment cooler.

Improve the Insulation

Subpar insulation will make your home hotter, which is why you need to improve it. If you haven’t changed a thing since you moved in, then maybe it’s time you changed that. You could speak to your apartment’s landlord and request them to change the insulation to improve the heat situation.

Bonus Tricks to Keep a Top-Floor Apartment Cool

These tricks can help make a top-floor apartment cooler beside the above tips.

Try Outdoor cooking: Apart from this being a fun venture, it will enable you to avoid adding to your house’s temperatures. Appliances such as ovens usually use a lot of heat to cook, making the apartment even hotter.
Using a stove instead might ease the temperatures a bit.
Drawdown the Blinds: That will help prevent the entry of fierce sun rays into your top-floor apartment
Keep the doors Open: this improves airflow and makes it easier for hot air to leave your house.

Let’s Wrap Up

If you are asking yourself, why is my apartment so hot, we hope you now know why. Try the solutions we have mentioned here, and you will see the situation improve. Everyone knows an apartment that’s too hot isn’t comfortable at all!