Cooling a Home Addition? Here Are Your Air Conditioner Options

Adding new living space to a home makes sense for many reasons, such as making room for a growing family or adding a home office or workshop. When it comes to cooling a home addition, there are some different air conditioner options to take into consideration.

Cooling a Home Addition

To determine the best way to cool your home addition, you’ll need a load calculation of your home using Manual J. You’ll also need to know your A/C’s capacity. While your HVAC technician is there, let him determine the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) rating of your A/C, too. Insulation and air sealing should be checked to ensure your cooling solution is installed in a tight and efficient home. Then, consider your cooling options:

• Extend air ducts and use your current cooling system – Extending air ducts into the addition may seem like the obvious solution. This is one decision when you need the specifications from a load calculation and your air conditioner’s capacity. If your A/C is in good condition and can handle the extra cooling load, extending ducts is a practical solution.
• Add an independent ductless system – Ductless mini splits are designed for cooling and heating specific rooms and smaller areas. The sleek air handlers deliver point-of-use cooling and heating. Installation doesn’t require much and can usually be completed in one day. If you install a ductless heat pump, the system can heat the addition as well.
• Upgrade the current system – A home addition or remodel project is a good time to consider upgrading your HVAC system. If your A/C is 10 years old or more, replacing it with a new higher-efficiency model is a strong option for cooling the new home addition.

For more information about cooling a home addition in the Coastal Bend area, please contact CCAC today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air conditioners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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