HVAC for older homes

There are pros and cons to purchasing an older home. I appreciate the historic integrity and charm of my house. The construction is extremely sturdy and well done, with everything perfectly square and plumb. The hardwood floors, doors, moldings and staircase are exceptionally beautiful. I love the big windows with stained glass insets, the high ceilings and wide front porch. However, we moved into a house with an extremely outdated electrical and plumbing system. We also had no access to central heating or cooling. There was no way I was willing to struggle with box fans, window air conditioners and electric baseboard heaters. I was very reluctant to tear into the original walls and ceilings to install a duct system. That would have created extensive damage and mess, cost me a fortune and consumed a great deal of space. I started looking into alternatives and found that there’s one type of system designed specifically for older homes. A high velocity heating and cooling system requires very little space and causes no disruption to the existing structure. It utilizes mini-ducts that are flexible and just two inches in diameter. They are small enough to be snaked between studs in the walls or ceiling rafters. The vents are also much smaller. Where conventional vents are usually around six inches tall and twelve inches wide, the high velocity vents are only five inches in diameter. The heated and cooled air is supplied from a compressor to a high-velocity air handler that sends it through the ducts at a very high rate of speed. The air then circulates rapidly and raises or lowers room temperature quickly. The high velocity system doesn’t need to run as long as most types of heating/cooling units and therefore uses less energy. 

HVAC equipment

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