Whether you’re adding a second family room, a guest suite or enlarging the kitchen, having extra square footage in your residence is sure to prove useful. Just remember to consider the heating and cooling needs of the new area. One of those points should involve whether you should upgrade your HVAC system for a home addition in Fort Lauderdale. Our instructions will help you as you get started with the process.
Option 1: No Upgrade Required
If the home addition includes enlarging a room instead of building completely new rooms, you may not need to improve the HVAC system at all. This is most likely the situation if your heating and cooling units were oversized when they were installed. Get a load calculation from an Expert technician, like one from Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning by calling 954-736-4314. This will decide if your present HVAC setup can manage the modifications you’ve made to your residence.
Option 2: Upgrade Your HVAC System
Another idea for bringing heat and air conditioning into your home addition is to extend the ductwork from your present forced-air equipment. If you use radiators or baseboard heating, you can extend hot water piping to the new area.
You should know that, along with ductwork or water piping, you may also have to install HVAC equipment to manage the bigger load. The following increase in electricity usage might even call for an electrical panel upgrade. If your heating and cooling system needs to be replaced soon, this might be a good option.
Option 3: Install a Ductless Mini-Split
Rather than getting a new equipment to handle the additional space, you can put in a separate one. Ductless mini-splits are great for this. They consist of two parts. There’s a condensing system that is placed on cement outside, similar to an air conditioner. Then there’s the small indoor blower that is placed against the ceiling or wall.
Like a central heat pump, mini-split HVAC systems deliver both heating and cooling for continuous comfort from a single setup.
Since it has a wall- or ceiling-mounted air handler, you don’t need ductwork. You can even add up to four indoor air handlers with one outdoor unit for zoned heating and cooling in differing spaces in your residence. A ductless mini-split might be the ideal HVAC solution for your home addition if:
- Your existing system can’t handle the added square footage, and you’re not able to replace it all right away.
- The old and additional rooms have varying heating and cooling needs.
- You want to add air conditioning to your home without putting in or lengthening the ductwork.
If you need help figuring out which HVAC option is a good match, let Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning provide our suggestions. 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 learn your needs. Then, we can provide cost comparisons for ductwork installation and system upgrades vs. installing a ductless mini-split HVAC system. We’ll give you all the possibilities so you can make a smart decision. To begin, reach at 954-736-4314 to schedule an appointment right away!