If your home already has a functioning air duct system, adding central air can be fairly easy and less expensive. Technicians will inspect existing ducts to ensure they are in good condition and sealed well enough to move air through the house efficiently. Then, they install a split system. The short answer to this is: “yes.
Yes, you can add an air conditioner to a forced air heating system. However, it's a complex process and we never recommend that the landlord try it. Of course, we will say this about any air conditioning or heating installation. There are many factors that go into matching the right system to the right house, such as size.
But before you convince yourself to invest in central air or heat pumps, we also need to talk about energy. Older homes often only have 60-amp service for the entire house. Well, central air conditioners typically require 20 to 50 amps of power. This puts the rest of the appliances in your home in a battle over electricity.
You might even need to upgrade your circuit breaker box, adding a few more zeros at the end of your total cost. An oversized system will cool the house so quickly that it doesn't effectively dehumidify the air (one of the main keys to comfort) and, if it's too small, it will work almost constantly, increasing your energy bills and wearing out equipment prematurely. Ductless air conditioning is a great option if installing ductwork in your historic home or maintaining multiple windows doesn't sound appealing. If you're the owner of one of Minnesota's many historic or older homes that doesn't have air conditioning or ducts, you should consider all your options.
A central air conditioning system connected to the boiler not only keeps you cool, but it also improves indoor air quality by filtering dust, allergens and other particles in the air that, at a minimum, can irritate family members and, in some cases, may even endanger your health. A central air conditioning system incorporates a number of components, most of which do not previously exist in a home. To help you find the right solution for your home and your budget, we've highlighted the three best ways to add air conditioning to older homes. In fact, while air conditioning was installed in just over 60 percent of homes as recently as the early 1990s, today about 87 percent of the existing United States.
The convenience of adding air conditioning to your home's central heating system depends on several factors. There are solid reasons why adding central air conditioning is the most viable whole-house option to bring fresh comfort to an existing home. An oven fan that only works half the year or the reduced air filter on a window unit cannot match the air quality improvements available by adding central air conditioning and using quality air filters. You need one unit for each conditioned space and therefore have several zones throughout the house that may be more efficient than the all-or-nothing approach you get with central air conditioning.
If you have forced hot air, you have ducts that distribute the hot air throughout the house and that could also work to get cold air. Chances are that if you're reading this, you probably have an old house, since most new buildings include air conditioning. Because it's connected to your oven or air controller, it keeps the air that circulates throughout the house clean all year round. A professional HVAC contractor will do the necessary preliminary work to ensure that adding central air conditioning provides the comfort and efficiency you expect.
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