Using the rates of childhood asthma more than doubling since 1980, and people suffering year round from various respiratory ailments due to allergies and second-hand smoke, indoor air quality in the house has taken on crucial importance. This indicates heating and air conditioning for homes and additions has gone from a mere afterthought to a key element in planning for new construction. But what does this mean for you and also the return on your house improvements?
If you already have a hot-air system in your house, you should expand it into your addition simply because hot air systems can now be outfitted with numerous filter systems that control the degree of humidity and the quantity of airborne dust particles inside your home.
If you have a hot-water heating system and are building a large addition, you might wish to consider adding a separate hot-air unit to the new construction. This will make it easier to heat the space in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. In turn, this will add to the resale value of your home.Most new hot-air furnaces exhaust via the wall using plastic pipe, making installation a snap.
Another option would be to add an in-wall heat pump unit like those commonly found in hotel rooms. These units could be more efficient to run, especially if your furnace is really a great distance from the addition itself.
When it comes to cooling, central air conditioning units are quieter and much more energy efficient than portable units. Another air conditioning choice is an in-wall unit. If you install one of these (instead of putting one in the window), be sure to choose one that has a removable chassis so that, if you need to repair the unit, it could be slid out of the sleeve that remains in the wall.
In terms of resale worth and appeal to possible homebuyers, central air adds the most value to your house, followed by in-wall units, and then window units. A word of caution: Be certain to size the air conditioning unit properly.
A unit that's too large for the space will cool it too rapidly and won't remove much humidity from the air, causing condensation on windows and walls. A unit that is too small will tax the appliance and won't cool the room enough during a prolonged heat wave. And no matter what the season, make sure to have your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment routinely inspected by a certified HVAC expert.
Mold can grow abundantly inside heating and cooling equipment if it has food to eat (airborne dust) and moisture. The moisture may come from high indoor humidity or water leaks into the HVAC system and ducts. Once you have a mold infestation problem in your HVAC system, you are in danger of contaminating your whole house as mold spores are continually circulated through the home and back into the HVAC system through return registers and ducts.
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