Lowering ceilings - Would it save money?

[andyp2010]

Heya,

I'm looking at putting in some lower ceilings in a rental. Reason being, I pay the power bill and the ceilings are currently a massive 4-5 metres (12-15ft) high, so my thinking is that in winter, I'm paying to heat twice the amount of space necessary. I realise it might be a few years until it pays off on the power bill but in terms of keeping tenants warmer and therefore happier and staying longer is also a consideration.

So my thinking is, if I put a full drywall ceiling up, pop some LED's in while we're there, fully insulate it then I'll be heating half the space at roughly half the cost.

I also can't get into the roof space to put more insulation in as it's a real hodge podge of a house. Not without taking all the roofing panels off and I don't do heights.

This was my logic until a tenant mentioned that their friend that works with insulation said it won't work at all without ceiling fans or an HRV system. Google's not helping as much as it usually does. I get that it might be better with them but does it really NEED these?

[bobechs]

Can't the tenants just use extra dogs and cats to keep their hands & feet warm in the winter?

[marty998]

Tell them to wear a jumper and long pants...

Honestly wouldn't be surprised if the tenant turns up and says 'g'day mate, it's a bit chilly' while wearing a singlet and boardies

[BDWW]

I probably wouldn't insulate the lower ceiling too much. I'd have to know more about the layout to say for certain. Is it a single level? If there are no pipes, in the upper walls, you could potentially do it.

Even if there aren't any pipes up there, sealing(ceiling off?) off a section of your house like that can become problematic. If you have interior walls that run up to the full height, they are likely not insulated. This would allow heat and potentially moisture to travel up and get into your new "attic". This may or may not be an issue. You'd want to complete seal of the lower portion, including the interior walls, and then properly vent the space.

Sealing off(and insulating) living space can cause weird problems (mostly dealing with moisture).

I'd be more apt to try a drop ceiling, or an uninsulated framed ceiling. You'll still get some benefit, but the temperature differential would be less dramatic and less likely to cause issues.

[Fishindude]

I'd think you could buy a lot of heat for the cost of those renovations.
I'd look at having the place professionally insulated, make sure the HVAC system is efficient and make sure the windows are good before doing a false ceiling.

[K-ice]

I would only lower them enough to properly insulate if that is the problem. Like 6"

Can you install a ceiling fan to help push the warm air down in winter?
I once stayed in an A frame cabin and the fan made a huge difference.

Also, I think you could potentially loose money or renters with standard 8ft ceilings.

High ceilings are so attractive and make a place more rentable.

Finally, do you need to pay the heat? Why don't the tenants cover it?
I knew someone who rented in a triplex with 1 meter. The landlord collected an extra $100 a month to cover heat based on the previous years consumption. Offered a rebate if the total bill was less than expected after a year. They never saw a rebate and we're kind of pissed but the landlord got there share. This may be illegal in some places.

I love high ceilings so it's a big NO from me. Low ceilings could also hurt resale value. I know when we were house shopping place A just felt bigger than place B. The layout was almost identical. But place A had high ceilings. 



 

[Dicey]

DH and I have a lot of DIY experience and I am an admitted HGTV junkie. Pulling out dropped ceilings is the first thing on every project list. I always wonder who the hell wastes money hanging those eyesores anyway? How many people rent your place because of the high ceilings?
You could install attractive ceiling fans that force the warm air downward in winter. You could also only pay a portion of the utility bill in order to keep your tenants accountable for their usage.
Dropped ceilings almost always look like crap in short order and might well make your place look like a cave, which would certainly make it less desirable to future tenants.

[Fishindude]

OP said nothing about a "drop ceiling".   they suggested a drywall ceiling.

However, I do agree the lay in acoustic type commercial ceilings have no place in a house.

[Jack]

OP said nothing about a "drop ceiling".   they suggested a drywall ceiling.

Doesn't matter; on HGTV they rip those out too. (Usually the house in question is an old Victorian or Craftsman and the ceilings were lowered in the '70s or something.)

IMO, the key realization is that houses are designed on purpose. The high ceilings in old Victorians served an important function: namely, keeping the place cool in the summer without A/C.  The low ceilings in mid-century ranches also served an important function: namely, keeping the place cool in the summer with A/C, without having to run it excessively. If you're thinking of changing something like ceiling height in a house, you have to first understand how it was designed to work as a system, and then decide whether you're willing to properly re-engineer it to continue to work well as a system.

Making piecemeal changes is a way to really screw up the house (one good example is adding insulation to a house that didn't originally have any -- without adding a vapor barrier too, it can suddenly start molding or rotting).

[PhysicianOnFIRE]

Sounds like a terrible idea. 

The solutions that make sense to me are :

A) Give the renter some skin in the game.  Lower the rent but have them pay to heat and cool the place.
B) A ceiling fan that runs in reverse, pulling cool air up and recirculating warmer air down.

[Dicey]

I'm looking at putting in some lower ceilings... the ceilings are currently a massive 4-5 metres (12-15ft) high...
So my thinking is, if I put a full drywall ceiling up, pop some LED's in while we're there, fully insulate it then I'll be heating half the space....

OP said nothing about a "drop ceiling".   they suggested a drywall ceiling.

However, I do agree the lay in acoustic type commercial ceilings have no place in a house.

From the quoted text, it is clear that his idea was to to drop the ceiling significantly and then cover his crime by drywalling the newly lowered surface.

Despite the confusion, I'm glad to see that you, Jack, POF, and I all agree that doing so could be a seriously bad decision. Let's hope the OP takes our input to heart.