The construction of a two-story addition can improve your home’s value and give you much-needed additional living space. This type of construction project gives you the perfect opportunity to make necessary changes to your home cooling and heating system so that your living environment will be comfortable in all seasons.
Get an energy evaluation: A professional energy evaluation, sometimes called an energy audit, will tell you the heating and cooling load of your home. The auditor will conduct a number of tests and calculations that will show how much cooling and heating is needed to keep your home at the level of comfort you prefer. Armed with this information, you’ll be able to tell if your existing HVAC system is big enough or if you’ll need to invest in new equipment.
Expand or upgrade your existing HVAC system: If your existing cooling and heating systems are less than 10 years old and big enough to heat and cool both the existing structure and new addition, you can expand the ductwork to also cover the new addition. If your existing HVAC equipment is too small to accommodate the additional space, you may choose to upgrade to a larger system. If you’re upgrading your furnace or air conditioner, consider the benefits of installing a high-efficiency system that will work better and cost less to operate.
Install an independent system for the new addition:Another option would be to install a separate cooling and heating system for the addition. This could include:
- An additional forced-air furnace or air conditioner that serves only the new addition.
- A ductless mini-split heat pump system that provides up to four separate indoor air handlers that can be placed throughout the new addition.
At CCAC, Inc., we are Constantly Concerned About Customers, helping them find the best and most efficient solutions to their heating, air conditioning and indoor air quality needs. Contact us today for more information about cooling and heating your two-story addition.
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 cooling and heating and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock