Curiosities: Ceiling height plays small role in heat loss

Q. Why do big-box stores have such high ceilings? Doesn’t a lot of heat rise and then get trapped and wasted?
A. Not necessarily, says UW-Madison biological systems engineering professor and building design expert David Bohnhoff. Inside any well-insulated building with good air circulation, the temperature between floor and ceiling usually only differs by a couple of degrees — even when the building is a cavernous store.