Common problems
Start from what’s bothering you
Houses tell you what’s wrong: a bill that spikes, air that feels sticky, an upstairs that won’t cool, drafts, a musty smell. Each guide explains what the symptom usually means in your climate, which tests confirm the cause, and the fixes from cheapest to biggest, so you don’t pay for the wrong one.
Summer, cooling and humidity
High summer electric bills
Bills spike when the AC runs. Leaky attic ducts, attic heat and sun on west-facing glass are more common causes than an old AC alone.
Common in: Hot and humid · Hot and dry · Mixed
Diagnose it →Humid, sticky air indoors
The AC runs but the house feels clammy. Usually an oversized AC, the fan left on, or humid air leaking in through ducts and crawlspaces.
Common in: Hot and humid · Mixed
Diagnose it →Hot upstairs rooms
Downstairs is fine, upstairs is stuffy. Usually attic heat, ducts losing cool air on the way up, or too little return air.
Common in: Hot and humid · Hot and dry · Mixed · Cold · Marine and mild coastal
Diagnose it →AC runs all the time
The air conditioner barely shuts off. On the hottest days that can be normal; otherwise look at the ducts, attic heat, refrigerant and a dirty coil.
Common in: Hot and humid · Hot and dry · Mixed · Cold
Diagnose it →Musty smell
A damp, earthy smell means moisture, and usually mold, somewhere: a crawlspace, basement, AC drain pan or a hidden leak.
Common in: Hot and humid · Mixed · Cold · Marine and mild coastal
Diagnose it →Dust or wildfire smoke indoors
Dust settles fast, or smoke gets in on bad-air days. Seal the leaks it comes through, then filter what’s left.
Common in: Hot and dry · Mixed · Cold · Marine and mild coastal
Diagnose it →Winter, heating and drafts
High heating bills
Winter bills that sting. In cold climates it’s usually air leaks and thin attic insulation; in warm ones, electric backup heat.
Common in: Mixed · Cold · Marine and mild coastal
Diagnose it →Drafts and cold rooms
Cold air on your ankles, rooms that never warm up. Usually air leaks high and low in the house, plus ducts that don’t deliver.
Common in: Mixed · Cold · Marine and mild coastal
Diagnose it →Ice dams and icicles
A ridge of ice at the eaves means heat is leaking into the attic and melting the snow. Seal the attic first, then insulate.
Common in: Cold
Diagnose it →Cold floors
Floors that feel cold underfoot. Usually an uninsulated crawlspace, a room over a garage, leaky rim joists or an uninsulated slab edge.
Common in: Marine and mild coastal
Diagnose it →Window condensation
Fog or frost on the inside of windows means indoor air is too humid for the glass. Dew on the outside of efficient windows is normal.
Common in: Cold · Marine and mild coastal
Diagnose it →What’s common in your climate
A hot, humid house and a cold, dry one go wrong in different ways. These are the problems our climate research flags for each region; your metro guide has the details for where you live.
Hot and humid
Florida, Texas and the Gulf Coast
Hot and dry
the desert Southwest and inland Southern California
Mixed
the Mid-Atlantic, St. Louis and the Southeast Piedmont
Cold
the Northeast, Great Lakes, Upper Midwest and Colorado Front Range
Marine and mild coastal
the Pacific Northwest and coastal California
Not sure which problem is yours?
The free planner looks at your whole house and puts the fixes in order, and the test screener tells you which tests are worth asking for. An energy audit measures the house itself.