Home additions give you extra space and convenience exactly where you want it and add value to your home. When you are planning your home addition, think of it as a little house that you're adding on -- complete with a foundation, electrical wiring, plumbing, interior design elements and HVAC components.
So, plan ahead, choose the right contractors and use these helpful tips!
Plan Ahead: HVAC Considerations
Home additions that are well planned and executed stay on budget and purpose. Moreover, if you're not comfortable in your new addition, you won't be happy. Consider these options for cooling and heating your new space:
- Extending forced-air HVAC: Forced-air HVAC systems use ductwork to convey conditioned air from your furnace and A/C. If extending ductwork into your home addition is possible, it's worth considering. A load calculation should be performed to ensure your furnace and A/C can handle heating and cooling the added space. Remember that comfort and efficiency go hand in hand. If it's going to be too much burden on your central air system to extend ducts, you won't be comfortable and it will cost you in higher energy bills, too.
- Independent system: A popular option for providing cooling and heating for home additions is installing a dedicated system. It may be possible to control your current system and the new system from the same WiFi thermostat. This allows you to easily cool and heat only the areas in your home you want at any given time.
- Retrofit HVAC: If you have an older HVAC system, you may be better off in replacing the unit with a new system that can heat and cool your entire home and new addition efficiently and comfortably. For the best results, your HVAC professional should evaluate your ductwork, do a load calculation and determining if you should install a zoning system with the HVAC retrofit.
You don't have to spend more for a perfect home addition HVAC system. You just have to plan and invest wisely. Please contact us at Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning for the best HVAC service and installation in Fort Wayne.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home additions and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 260-376-2961.