Energy efficiency is on the minds of nearly all homeowners when it comes to their HVAC. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to upgrade an HVAC system and achieve greater efficiency. Customers often talk with us about the following ways to make your HVAC system more efficient.
Heat Pumps
A heat pump offers heating and cooling capabilities in a single HVAC unit. While a heat pump uses the same technology as an air conditioner, it has a reversible system that allows it to extract heat from outside. Modern heat pumps are highly efficient, and they don’t begin to significantly lose their effectiveness until -10° C. Especially in a relatively temperate region like we have in this part of British Columbia, a heat pump is a great choice.
Notably, a heat pump tends to have a higher upfront cost than installing a separate furnace and AC. However, the federal and provincial governments both offer rebates that offset a significant part of that cost.
Some electrical upgrades may be necessary for older homes to support a heat pump. We strongly encourage homeowners to put a heat pump on a 60-amp circuit and in a 200-amp electrical panel.
Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioning
The idea behind a ductless mini-split is to get rid of the ducting for air conditioning in a house. Instead, refrigeration lines run from a main unit to a series of air handlers. Each room with AC has a handler that then uses the refrigerant for cooling. This is notably more efficient because the refrigerant lines such much lower losses compared to air ducts.
Ductless mini-splits are also nice if you don’t want a large and centralized AC system. Perhaps you only wish to cool a handful of rooms, such as the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms. You also have the option to expand the system later on. If you convert a storage room to a guest bedroom, for example, our technicians can usually just add another air handler and run a new refrigerant line to it.
Using a ductless mini-split also makes a house effectively zoned for AC. This allows each person to control their room to their liking. If you have someone who likes to sleep very cold while you prefer to sleep a bit warmer, this makes a big difference. You can also readily turn off the air conditioning in unused rooms, such as the living room, after you go to bed.
Ductless mini-splits do introduce a visible element in the wall or ceiling of each room. Installations may also get a bit in older homes, especially ones that already have AC units and ductwork.
Variable Refrigerant Flow
Most HVAC systems operate in either on or off conditions. Consequently, they can spend a lot of electricity ramping up. Air conditioners and heat pumps are available, however, with variable refrigerant flow (VRF). This allows these systems to maintain a low level of heating or cooling once the temperature in a space hits the target. Not only does VRF encourage greater efficiency, but it also offers steadier and more comfortable conditions.
VRF systems tend to have very high upfront costs, often in the tens of thousands of dollars. This also means it may take more than a decade for the system to pay for itself in terms of improved efficiency. Likewise, VRF systems require refrigerant leak detection that needs to be installed by one of our technicians.
Heat Recovery Ventilation
One of the more appealing HVAC upgrades for folks who prefer traditional furnaces or boilers is heat recovery ventilation (HRV). An HRV system uses cooling condensate in a flue to capture heat that would otherwise be lost through the chimney or vent. It then uses the recovered heat to warm your home and reduce demands on your furnace or boiler. Generally, you can recover between 70% and 85% of what would otherwise be waste heat.
The main shortcoming of HRV is that it requires annual maintenance. Filter changes and core cleaning are critical due to acidification. Likewise, the system needs to have a dedicated drainage system to collect waste condensate.
Programmable and Smart Thermostats
Programmable thermostats and their more advanced cousins, smart thermostats, offer lots of ways to economize a home’s energy usage. A programmable or smart thermostat can set the target temperature to a higher or lower level when you’re away. If you take a summer vacation, for example, program the thermostat to run the AC higher so you’re not cooling an empty house as much.
Smart thermostats go a step further with options like learning algorithms, occupancy sensing, geofencing, remote access, and utility program integration. Algorithms can learn how you use your HVAC and predictively adjust the temperature to your liking. Occupancy sensors can up the HVAC performance when more people are present. Geofencing allows you to program a smart thermostat to bring the HVAC in line with your preferences when you’re close to home. Remote access allows you to adjust the HVAC with an app. Also, utility programs connect your thermostat to servers that track when energy rates are the cheapest.
We strongly recommend at least adding a smart thermostat because the payback period is typically 8 to 18 months. Some folks may not like the internet dependency of smart systems, though. This can be a concern in terms of both corporate data collection and the need for enhanced security.
Radiant Heating
The typical radiant heating system has pipes in the flooring. Your home’s heating system warms the water, and then the pipes slowly release the heat. This offers a much steadier and more comfortable form of heating. Some homeowners also like it because it prevents cold floors on cold mornings. Especially if your bathroom floor is uncomfortable on cool days, you might want radiant heating.
Radiant heating is less responsive than forced air. It also has a fairly high installation cost per square foot.
HVAC Zoning
Using a series of fans, blowers, and dampers, you can control which parts of your house get the most heating and cooling. Some smart technologies can even control the zoned systems for you. Particularly if you have parts of your house with big temperature differences, zoning is a great solution. For example, the far side of the upstairs might be particularly hot in the summer, so zoning allows you to cool it better.
Zoning tends to require ductwork changes. Also, it requires ongoing attention to maintain air balance.
Twin Peaks Plumbing, Heating & Gas puts years of HVAC experience to work for our customers. We work on many kinds of heating and cooling systems, including ductless mini-splits, furnaces, and boilers. You can ask our technicians to perform installations, repairs, and maintenance, too. We are fully licensed, and our company even provides 24/7 emergency services. Check out what others say about us online on sites like Facebook and Google.
Energy efficiency makes a big difference in any house in Nanaimo, BC, and the surrounding areas, so contact Twin Peaks Plumbing, Heating & Gas now to discuss possible upgrades.
