When my husband and I purchased an older home, I started looking into different options for heating and cooling.
The former owners had gotten by with space heaters and portable air conditioners.
I wasn’t happy with the look of the cumbersome equipment and electric cords, and I definitely wasn’t satisfied with the level of comfort. We were spending a fortune on utility bills and yet freezing in the winter and sweating in the summer. Because of the age of the house, the walls are far too narrow to accommodate conventional ductwork. Plus, the walls are constructed of the original plaster and lath. Attempting to tear into the walls would cause a huge mess, labor-intensive project and major expense. I was very frustrated by the heating and cooling systems available and worried that we’d be stuck with inferior comfort forever. I finally called up a local HVAC contractor, explained the problem and asked for a recommendation. He immediately started telling me about high velocity heating and cooling. This type of system utilizes very narrow, flexible mini-ducts that can be routed through existing walls and around obstacles without disruption. The smaller ducts link to compact vents that are very unobtrusive and can be customized to match the decor. The system works through a process called aspiration. A high velocity stream of heated or cooled air is supplied into the room, where it causes a gentle suction and mixes very quickly with the existing air. This results in especially consistent temperature, with no stratification between floor and ceiling, and a variation of only two degrees from the thermostat setting. The high velocity system provides both heating and cooling and allowed us to setup zone control. We avoid maintaining empty rooms at the perfect temperature and can target those rooms that tend to feel overheated or chilly.