Whether you’re putting on a second family room, a guest suite or enlarging the kitchen, having extra square footage in your home is sure to be convenient. Just keep in mind you need to consider the heating and cooling requirements of the new space. One of those factors should cover whether you should upgrade your HVAC system for a home addition in Hurricane. Our instructions will help you as you get started with the process.
Option 1: No Upgrade Necessary
If the home addition involves enlarging an area rather than building totally new rooms, you may not need to enhance the HVAC system at all. This is often the situation if your heating and cooling equipment was too big originally. Get a load calculation from a professional technician, for example one from Teays Valley Service Experts by calling 304-760-5088. This will affect if your existing HVAC system can manage the modifications you’ve made to your house.
Option 2: HVAC System Upgrade
Another idea for delivering heat and air conditioning into your home addition is to extend the ductwork from your existing forced-air system. If you rely on radiators or baseboard heating, you can add hot water piping to the new room.
Bear in mind that, in addition to ductwork or water piping, you might also have to add HVAC equipment to take care of the increased load. The subsequent increase in electricity use might even call for an enhanced electrical panel. If your heating and cooling system needs to be replaced soon, this could be a good solution.
Option 3: Get a Ductless Mini-Split
In place of installing a new system to manage the extra space, you can put in a stand-alone one. Ductless mini-splits are great for this. They consist of two parts. There’s a condensing component that sits on the ground outdoors, much like an air conditioner. Then there’s the small indoor blower that mounts to the ceiling or wall.
Akin to a central heat pump, mini-split HVAC systems deliver both heating and cooling for continual comfort from a single system.
Since it has a wall- or ceiling-mounted air handler, ductwork isn’t necessary. You can even link up to four indoor units with one outdoor unit for zoned heating and cooling in differing parts of your home. A ductless mini-split might be the best HVAC option for your home addition if:
- Your present system can’t handle the added space, and you’re not ready to replace everything right now.
- The old and additional additions have varying heating and cooling needs.
- You want to add air conditioning to your residence without getting or extending the ductwork.
If you need help figuring out which HVAC option is right for you, let Teays Valley Service Experts give our advice. We have a wealth of experience helping homeowners fine-tune their indoor comfort, with a passion for efficiency and eco-friendly HVAC solutions.
Let us start by performing a load calculation to determine your needs. Then, we can provide cost listings for ductwork installation and system upgrades vs. getting a ductless mini-split HVAC system. We’ll give you all the possibilities so you can make a wise decision. To begin, contact us at 304-760-5088 to schedule an appointment today!