Recently, while performing a whole house plumbing preventative maintenance at a customer’s house, I noticed it was very warm – in fact, uncomfortably HOT. As I passed the heating system’s thermostat, I took a peek at the temperature — it was set at 78°F. I was surprised because I rarely see a thermostat set at such a high temperature unless there’s a specific reason, and I couldn’t help but think that my customer’s energy bill must be sky-high.
When I was ready to leave, I asked Sue, my customer, if she was having any comfort issues with her home’s heating system as I had noticed the thermostat was set to a very high temperature. (That was an understatement!) Sue answered that although there was nothing “wrong” with her system, she was having trouble maintaining a comfortable temperature in her father-in-law’s bedroom. Grandpa, who had recently moved into her home, wasn’t very mobile and spent most of his time in his bedroom which had originally been a rarely-used home office, situated in the rear of the house. No one had ever realized that the room was cooler than the rest of the house until grandpa spent most of his time there, sitting in his easy chair. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to be cold in the first place; now, he had to cover himself in blankets which made everybody feel bad. In an effort to keep Grandpa comfortable, the rest of the family was extremely UNcomfortable!
Take it from The Coop, too often I hear similar stories from customers. They do their best to accommodate every body’s preferences, but sometimes, people definitely get the short end of the stick. I told Sue that I had a feeling that I could definitely improve her situation, so with her permission, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I inspected the rooms of her house and then examined the HVAC system. What I learned was that although the HVAC system was sized correctly, grandpa’s bedroom had 3 strikes going against it:
- The bedroom was located at the end of a long run of ductwork so it was difficult to get enough warm air into that room.
- The ductwork tape was frayed around the seams which was causing warm air to escape.
- To make matters more challenging, the room was situated on the north side of the house and had less natural sunlight streaming through the window to help heat it up during the day.
I told Sue that the best and most cost effective solution would be to install a small mini-split system in grandpa’s room. The benefits of a mini-split include:
- A mini-split system is a very versatile, ductless heat pump which uses the outside air to heat and cool specific areas of your home or office.
- Mini-splits operate on less power so they’re more energy efficient, saving you money.
- Since mini-splits are ductless, controlled air is delivered directly into the room via the air handler, maximizing all the conditioned air.
- The compact air handler is designed to hang discreetly on a wall or in the ceiling so it blends into the surroundings.
- The room’s Indoor air quality is better because dust and pollutants aren’t transferred into the room from other areas of the house through the shared ductwork.
- Mini-splits are less invasive and easier to install than traditional systems.
- You’ll never hear the unit turn on and off and you won’t be annoyed by the sound of “whooshing” or “humming” as the air circulates because a mini-split is exceptionally quiet!
- The unit is conveniently accessed, using the remote control, without affecting the main HVAC system.
Sue had had no idea that there was a reasonable solution to her dilemma and was delighted to learn that the rest of the family didn’t have to sweat it out in order to maintain a comfortable climate for grandpa.
Chances are there’s a fix for most heating and cooling issues – you just have to ask for help. Be sure to call a professional heating and cooling contractor, like Cooper Mechanical, that is knowledgeable of all types of equipment to ensure you receive the best and most reasonably priced options.
In the end, Grandpa was happy, Sue and the rest of her family were comfortable, and The Coop had a customer for life!!