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Air Conditioning & Heating Options for Your New Home Addition

For growing families or those with changing needs, a new home addition may be in your future come spring and summer. If you’re planning to add on to your home, your plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems will need to be diagnosed by a professional. A new home addition may warrant a new AC installation or a heating upgrade.

Do I need a new HVAC system installation, or can I use my current heating and cooling systems?

To answer this question, you will need to speak with a professional HVAC technician. It is also recommended that you get an energy audit for your current home, and also have the plans for your addition evaluated, too.

Get the facts about your current air conditioning and heating systems to determine whether or not they will be able to handle conditioning the extra space. The location of your new addition, as well as its construction and size,  are important factors to consider and will affect your heating and cooling needs. Upon performing your energy audit, you’ll know where your energy leaks are and have more information which will help you determine if it’s time for new AC installation or other equipment upgrades.

If you find your home’s current heating and cooling systems will be able to provide adequate heating and cooling for your new addition, you may decide to extend your home’s ductwork to the new addition. This will allow conditioned air produced by your heating and cooling systems to flow into the new living space.

If your currently sized HVAC unit cannot adequately heat and cool the extra space, you will need to either replace your current system or add a separate ductless mini-split system.

Heating & Cooling Options for Your New Home Addition

If you find your current heating and cooling systems aren’t enough to keep the new space comfortable, you have a few options for new HVAC installations. Here is an image of the different types of air conditioning systems (central, room, zoned, and evaporative cooler) available to you:

If your home’s current systems are aging and you were thinking about a replacement anyway, you may decide to upgrade to equipment with more heating and cooling capacity, which will provide for the new living space. A new air conditioning or heating installation will offer other benefits, like increased energy efficiency over your existing equipment.

Another option would be to add a new AC installation and heating system just for the new home addition. With its own dedicated heating and cooling systems, you’ll be able to control temperatures and conditions in your new space independently without affecting areas of the original structure.

Whatever you decide, it is important to schedule ongoing HVAC maintenance for your new unit so that it provides the proper cool air in the summer and heat in the winter.

Zoned Heating and Cooling

Depending on the size of your new addition, you may need extra heating and cooling power. Because the construction may differ from your original structure, you may want to consider a zoned system. This will allow you to adjust conditions in the new addition separately since it is a separate system with its own thermostat and controls.

Since the air handlers are all different for each room, you will treat each room as if it is its own air conditioning system. The air handlers, which are fairly small, are installed in each room into the wall or ceiling.

Air handlers might even be free-standing. This offers flexibility to people trying to retrofit air conditioning into a home. However, this adaptability is not so open that you can put the air handlers just anywhere. You need the advice of a professional during installation to determine the appropriate location in the room for each air handler.

When Are Ductless Systems Useful?

Ductless mini-split A/C units can be the perfect solution for your home addition. They don’t need any ductwork installed, creating a more spacious and aesthetic area. Ductwork is notoriously faulty since there are often leaks that leak out conditioned air to unused areas of the home. If you have leaky ducts, you may want to consider professional air sealing technology, such as Aeroseal.

How to Choose an AC Unit for Your New Addition

The best way to choose the new heating and cooling system for your new home addition is to speak with an expert.

If you’re planning a new addition to your Arizona home this year, call Penguin Air, Plumbing & Electrical for an evaluation of your home’s current system. Our team of experts can advise you on any AC installation and system upgrades which may be necessary to accommodate the additional area.

For more information heating and cooling installation, read our other blogs on the topic:

• Basic Air Conditioning Unit Cleaning Tips
• How to Change An Air Conditioning Filter
• Air Conditioning Repair vs. A/C Replacement: What You Need to Know
• How Replacing Your Air Conditioning Unit Today Can Save Money
• Tips for Air Conditioning Your Home in Phoenix this Summer
• DIY: Common Air Conditioning Repair
• How to Improve Indoor Air Quality

At Penguin Air, we want to help make your Phoenix-area home a safe and beautiful space for you and your loved ones to enjoy for many years to come.