Whether you’re building a second family room, a guest suite or enlarging the kitchen, having more square footage in your house is sure to be handy. Just remember to consider the heating and cooling necessities of the new area. One of those points should cover whether you should upgrade your HVAC system for a home addition in West Chester. Our instructions will help you as you begin the process.
Option 1: No Upgrade Necessary
If the home addition includes growing a room as opposed to adding completely new rooms, you may not need to enhance the HVAC system at all. This is often the situation if your heating and cooling units were too big to begin with. Request a load calculation from a pro technician, such as one from Wesley Wood Service Experts by calling 484-401-7577. This will determine if your current HVAC setup can handle the upgrades you’ve made to your house.
Option 2: Replace Your HVAC System
Another solution for bringing heat and air conditioning into your home addition is to extend the ductwork from your present forced-air system. If you rely on radiators or baseboard heating, you can lengthen hot water piping to the new space.
Please note that, in addition to ductwork or water piping, you might also have to put in HVAC equipment to take care of the bigger load. The ensuing increase in electricity consumption may even call for an enhanced electrical panel. If your heating and cooling system is due for a replacement soon, this might be a good option.
Option 3: Install a Ductless Mini-Split
Rather than upgrading your existing equipment to cover the added area, you can put in a freestanding one. Ductless mini-splits are ideal for this. They have two parts. There’s a condensing system that is placed on cement outside, akin to an air conditioner. Then there’s the sleek indoor blower that is placed to the ceiling or wall.
Akin to a central heat pump, mini-split HVAC systems offer both heating and cooling for all-season comfort from a single setup.
Since it uses a wall- or ceiling-mounted air handler, you don’t need ductwork. You can even join up to four indoor blowers with one outdoor unit for zoned heating and cooling in different areas in your house. A ductless mini-split may be the best HVAC solution for your home addition if:
- Your existing system can’t take on the extra room, and you’re not ready to replace every part right away.
- The old and new additions have different heating and cooling needs.
- You want to add air conditioning to your home without putting in or extending the ductwork.
If you need help deciding which HVAC option is a good match, let Wesley Wood Service Experts offer our advice. We have years of experience helping homeowners fine-tune their indoor comfort, with a passion for efficiency and eco-friendly HVAC systems.
We’ll start the process by doing a load calculation to determine your needs. Then, we can provide cost breakdowns for ductwork installation and system upgrades vs. putting in a ductless mini-split HVAC system. We’ll give you all the options so you can make a smart decision. To start, call at 484-401-7577 to schedule an appointment now!