Looking at ductwork and insulation for townhome - how much will these help?

[kreeyax]

Isn't there some kind of thermal imaging that can be done for your home? That might help identify where the most cooling/heat loss is occurring. You might find the insulation in your walls is inadequate that way. Though I'm not sure how much you could do about that. If the windows are very old you might have too much loss there as well.

[DeadRinger]

Personally, the challenge in fixing the issue you describe is that you'll never get a penny of that money back out of the home when you sell it. So its hard to figure out how much to spent on fixing a comfort issue, when you know its just money you're spending (rather than investing).

In contrast, spending $5,000 or $10,000 on a kitchen remodel will get you all that money back plus some when you sell.

[jackalope48]

One of the things I've noticed on the newer model units is they appear to have less inherent humidity removal than old style units. My theory is they are designed to run for longer periods but cool the individual cycles of air less and therefore keep more moisture in the air. In a commercial setting I've had lots of problems with tenants turning the newer units off entirely at night and expecting them to start cooling down a space at 8-9am facing the morning sun.

Basically if you don't keep them at a fairly consistent set point they'll "get behind" and never catch up. They are more efficient but don't have the "oomph" of the older units.

You might look at a dehumidifier or an attic fan if your roof is heating up a lot.

You also might try just lowering your set point a few degrees. If you are using a nest you might swap it out. They do weird things around here.