Whether you’re putting on a second family room, a guest suite or expanding the kitchen, having additional square footage in your house is sure to prove useful. Just remember to consider the heating and cooling needs of the new room. One of those points should involve whether you should upgrade your HVAC system for a home addition in Gainesville. Our guide will help you as you begin the process.
Option 1: No Upgrade Needed
If the home addition includes enlarging a space instead of adding totally new rooms, you may not need to improve the HVAC system at all. This is most likely the situation if your heating and cooling system was too large to begin with. Schedule a load calculation from a professional technician, such as one from Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning by calling 352-414-4006. This will decide if your current HVAC system can take on the changes you’ve made to your house.
Option 2: Install a New HVAC System
Another idea for delivering heat and air conditioning into your home addition is to extend the ductwork from your existing forced-air unit. If you rely on radiators or baseboard heating, you can lengthen hot water piping to the new space.
Be mindful that, in addition to ductwork or water piping, you could also have to install HVAC equipment to take care of the bigger load. The following increase in electricity consumption might even require an electrical panel upgrade. If your heating and cooling system requires a replacement soon, this could be perfectly acceptable.
Option 3: Add a Ductless Mini-Split
Instead of upgrading your existing unit to handle the additional square footage, you can install a separate one. Ductless mini-splits are perfect for this. They have two parts. There’s a condensing unit that is placed on a slab outside, much like an air conditioner. Then there’s the small indoor blower that is installed to the ceiling or wall.
Like a central heat pump, mini-split HVAC systems provide both heating and cooling for continual comfort from a single piece of equipment.
Since there’s a wall- or ceiling-mounted air handler, you don’t need ductwork. You can even join up to four indoor units with one outdoor unit for zoned heating and cooling in differing spaces in your house. A ductless mini-split could be the best HVAC solution for your home addition if:
- Your present system can’t absorb the extra space, and you’re not able to replace it all right now.
- The old and additional rooms have different heating and cooling needs.
- You want to add air conditioning to your home without installing or extending the ductwork.
If you need help deciding which HVAC option is ideal, let Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning offer our advice. We have years of experience helping homeowners fine-tune their indoor comfort, with a passion for efficiency and eco-friendly HVAC options.
We’ll get started by completing a load calculation to figure out your needs. Then, we can offer cost comparisons for ductwork installation and system upgrades vs. getting a ductless mini-split HVAC system. We’ll offer you all the options so you can make a wise decision. To begin, contact us at 352-414-4006 to schedule an appointment now!