Researching types of air conditioning systems - what do you have?
 

We would like to install A/C in our home and are researching standard ducted sytems, mini splits and high velocity ones like Unico and SpacePak.

Anyone have one of these who would like to give pros and cons of high velocity? Cost, noise level, cooling efficiency...

Thanks,
Deb

All I can add is that I have a split system for AC only in my sewing area and it's great! It cools the entire room and has been wonderful. We put it in about 6 years ago when they were almost unheard of and not much of a selection. Now they have gained popularity and a good selection is available. My regrets about the system are that we should have bought the unit that supports 2 inside AC's and should have got one that heats too.

We have regular central air. I have a room window unit in my sewing room and a ceiling fan. Very comfortable for us.

Not sure of the terminology of the systems you mention. We have gas-fired, hot water baseboard heat with a separate central AC system. Must say, I'm very happy with it. We looked at the wall/ceiling mounted separate systems prior to doing the central at the time (@ 15 yrs ago) and decided it was worth the extra $$ (and not by much) to go the route we did. Have AC in every room except dining room. Works well for us and seems to be quite efficient.

Do you have outlets in the ceiling or floor of each room? Large runs of metal ductwork down cellar or small ducting in the attic?

Debbie

i have central air. but people i know that have the wall units really like them .

We have a standard ducted system and it's fine. No idea what these other systems are, but enjoy your research and decision making process.

We put in Geo-thermal in 2011. It heats and cools and is great. My husband estimated that it cost us $50.00 a month to heat this huge farm house this past winter; in the middle of Wisconsin. The house is well insulated and we have very large south and east-facing windows which bring in a lot of sunshine. That helps.
The Geo-thermal takes about a half acre of land (or you can go straight down, like a well), and cost us about the same price as a new car. At our age, we will probably not get the full return on this, but we like saving the earth.

You don't say where you live - that can make a difference. I've been married to an A/C guy for 42 years. We live in south Florida and our house is zoned - meaning we have one A/C for our bedroom, one for the guest side of the house, one for the center main part of the house and I have a mini-split in my sewing room which is the top floor of the garage. Energy wise it's cheaper to only cool the part of the house we're using but I was able to get the units cheap!! Look into mini-splits - that's the ones that have an outdoor condensing unit and an inside part that hangs on the wall - no ducting needed. You can then only cool the areas you're using. They work very well and have come a long way since their inception. Good luck!!

I have a heat pump and love it! I spend $116 per month for heat and A/C to heat and cool a 1513 sq. ft. 3 bedroom home. This is my test of a good system. "What is it going to cost me monthly?" I keep my home at 68 degrees all year long, so you may have to adjust for your own comfort. No hot spots or cold spots either. I will say that switching to Florescent lighting made a one third drop in my energy consumption.

I also have a heat pump and love it. I also conserve as much as possible. I set the ac at 74 and the heat at 68, my bill is not bad and we are comfortable.

At my house we close the blinds when the sun starts shining in and open the windows when it gets hot. We use some floor fans to move the air. Kind of low tech but it works for us.

You don't say where you live , but it makes a difference as to what system may be best for your. I had a heat pump in one of the homes I owned.... it was fine until very cold weather then it got more expensive than other systems. to heat. Heat pumps have a temperature range that they work effieceintly and are cost effective.

I'm in northern NY. My husband hates the humidity in summer and our summers here are getting hotter longer.

We have hot water baseboard heat so we cannot add A/C to it like a forced air furnace. We are exploring other options like mini splits and the high velocity sytems, SpacePak and Unico.

Deb

Before making any decisions regarding air conditioning, we spent months and months....and months doing research. I even consulted for months with a group of environmental PHd scientist/engineers. Their recommendation was Daikin inverter split system. It was the highest rated SEER 19.6, efficient, SUPER quiet system they recommended. It is a ducted system because I didn't want units hanging on the wall. We had metal ductwork installed and had it insulated. Our ceilings in the great room are 20 ft. tall with no attic above, so we had the the grills in there installed high up on the side walls, which works great. In the master bedroom, we had the cassette type installed in the ceiling. It has little louver/fins on it that you can set to move up and down to distribute air flow. It has a separate thermostat from the other, so we can run it or turn it off. The thermostats in the great room and rest of the house are by remote control, but if we wanted we could have an in-wall type thermostat as well. We are extremely impressed with this system. You cannot hear it running at all. If you want more info, I can send it to you.

We've hadn't heard of that company. I'll have my husband research it - thanks.

Many people have told us high velocity/small duct A/C is noisy but it can't be as noisy as window air conditioners. We are replacing all our windows and we don't want the units that fit in the window and screw to the sashes.

Debbie

I have window units in every room except the bathrooms. It works fine for my 50 year old house.

Get the advice of a local professional.

i am only aware of central air.
Sandy

We have the best air conditioning ever. It is called fog. We sit on the edge of San Francisco Bay. Our average temp are in the 60's and 70's. We might get a warm day a couple times a year. We wait a couple of days and the fog rolls in.

We have 3 professionals working on quotes for us and of course the product each of them sells is the "best" on the market.

My question was directed at someone who already lives with one of the high velocity systems. I was asking for personal experience - pros and cons.

Call the surrounding vocational schools! We called the local vocational schools where workers are trained to work on air systems. Every instructor said Trane was the best for regular ac/heat. We bought a the Trane system with heat pump. I set the temp to be automatic 72 degress year round and haven't had to reset it since. We have a maint. check up in the spring and fall.

In my previous post, I told about geothermal heat ($50.00 a month this winter in Wisconsin), but with geothermal, you also get air conditioning and hot water. The water is heated only when the unit is heating or cooling, so sometimes in the spring and fall (and actually most of the summer here under the trees), the water is heated with electricity.

My dh recommends the mini split system for your situation and feels it's the most efficient. Good luck with whatever you go with.

Did you find the system right for you and what did you go with?

We installed a new system last month: a Geo Thermal cooling and heating and love how it works for us...cut the electric bill by fifty per cent! Uniform cooling in all rooms, never hear it running, and so clean in North Central Missouri in Gardening zone five.

Have no advice on any new systems. We purchased a Carrier at a yard sale and have had it for years. It really runs well.