Preparing for Your Big Day

Posted on: 24 February 2022

The best part of custom-designing a house is getting to build everything to your specifications. If you want the best of the best, there's no reason to slack on your home's HVAC system. There are tons of new technologies available that can give you fantastic performance, comfort, and efficiency, and they're worth considering if you're building a house to high-end specs.

Starting With Comfort and Efficiency 

If you're building a high-end HVAC system, you want to start with comfort and efficiency before moving on to fancier features. For air conditioning units, that means selecting a system with a high SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio). A high SEER air conditioner will keep your utility bills low, even if you're cooling a huge home or running multiple, separate AC systems.

For your heating system, you want to consider AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency). This value is similar to SEER but a little more straightforward. Your furnace's AFUE is a direct indication of its fuel conversion rate, so this percentage tells you how much fuel a furnace can convert into heat for your home. Again, a higher rating provides better efficiency.

There's no reason to stop with efficiency alone, however. If you're building the best, you should also consider variable-rate air conditioning systems and a variable-speed furnace. A variable AC can alter its refrigerant flow rate, while a variable-speed furnace allows for varying blower speeds. These two features mean more efficiency and far more comfort inside your home.

Taking It Up a Notch

Once you've taken care of the basics, it's time to move on to some more advanced features. If you live in a humid climate, adding a separate dehumidifier is essential. While your air conditioning system can dehumidify the air to a degree, it won't always be able to keep up with extreme levels of humidity in damp regions.

A whole-home dehumidifying system with a ventilator is a great way to get some extra comfort while also bringing fresh air into the house. Dehumidifying has the added advantage of protecting furniture, artwork, and other items that may be vulnerable to excessive amounts of moisture.

Tying It All Together

Finally, you'll want to make sure you can tie your ultimate HVAC together with easy-to-use and efficient controls. Smart thermostats for each zone not only provide a strong "wow!" factor, but they also improve your system's efficiency through intelligent temperature adjustments. These high-end devices can typically also control extra equipment, such as your dehumidifying and ventilation system.

If you're building a beautiful home, there's no reason not to pair a beautiful HVAC system alongside it. Choosing the right components and tying them all together can create a comfortable indoor environment with exceptional air quality all year-round. 

To learn more, contact a company like Engineer Mechanical Contractor, Inc.