Elements for Ideal HVAC Design

When people are buying a new house or replacing a heating and cooling system in an older home, they really need to have at least a basic idea of good HVAC design. Without a well-designed system, a homeowner will pay a heavy price not only in energy and dollars, but in comfort and indoor air quality as well.

Following are some basic guidelines for proper HVAC design in a home:

The main heating and cooling equipment must be carefully selected for not only the size of your home but other characteristics, too, including its layout and number of floors, energy efficiency, window coverage, orientation to the sun, etc. While an under-sized HVAC system will struggle to provide a comfortable environment, an over-sized system will waste energy, stress the equipment, and not provide balanced heating and cooling.

Good HVAC design requires effective ventilation to avoid a situation where the same stale, dirty air is circulating repeatedly. Various mechanical ventilation systems are available, including Heat Recovery and Energy Recovery ventilators. These systems exchange fresh outside air for dirty indoor air, while transferring heat and/or moisture between the air streams to reduce energy waste and help humidity control. Working exhaust fans are necessary in the kitchen and bathrooms.

For your furnace, A/C or heat pump to work optimally, they need an effective air circulation system, with a carefully designed duct network delivering conditioned air to registers in every room, and as many rooms as possible also having vents connected to return ducts.

The system should have an effective method for controlling humidity, especially in areas with muggy summer climates. Ideally, the forced-air system should work in tandem with whole-house dehumidification/humidification, though portable or room equipment also can be effective for localized problems.

Similarly, provisions for maintaining indoor air quality should be accounted for in good HVAC design. This is in addition to mechanical ventilation. An effective furnace or A/C filter is necessary, and some homes will require a dedicated whole-house air-cleaning system.

For more advice on proper HVAC design for your Middletown area home, please contact us at C.R. Wolfe Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HVAC design and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 845-367-4482.

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