Keeping your home cool during the summer months can wear down your HVAC system during its service life. Over time you may notice your air conditioning unit has been providing inconsistent cooling to your home or that your energy bills have been steadily rising. If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your air conditioning, you may want to consider a high-velocity HVAC system.
High-velocity HVAC systems are more popular than ever due to their simple installation process and efficiency. So, before you go another summer with your old HVAC unit, let’s find out if a high-velocity air conditioner is the right choice to improve your home air conditioning.
How Does a High-Velocity HVAC System Differ from a Standard HVAC System?
We’re here to find out exactly how a high-velocity HVAC system can improve your home comfort
Just like the name suggests, high-velocity HVAC systems use high pressure to transport cooled air into your living space. The fast moving air mixes with the air in your living spaces, creating more effective cooling throughout any part of your home. High pressure is achieved through smaller ducts that ones used with standard HVAC systems. The small ducts have the advantage of keeping the air moving at a high-velocity and taking up less space in your home.
There are also big differences in air cycling between the standard and high-velocity systems. For example, a standard air conditioner turns on and off depending on the temperature dictated by the thermostat. This requires the system to start up and waste energy to reach its maximum output of cooled air. High-velocity systems do turn on and off according to the thermostat, but without a drastic loss of pressure. In high-velocity systems the air handler runs constantly, making sure your system doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain consistent airflow.
What Are The Benefits of a High-Velocity HVAC System?
Smaller vents and higher velocity output leads to greater efficiency and cooler airflow
Compared to traditional duct systems, high-velocity HVAC systems have a lot of advantages. If you are looking to save on energy costs or are retrofitting a room in your home, you'll definitely want to consider high-velocity HVAC systems. Let’s take a look at some of the other benefits of installing a high-velocity air conditioning system in your home.
- Save on Energy Costs in the Hot Summer Months
When the outside temperature is overwhelming, you want to be sure that your home will stay cool all summer without breaking the bank. Luckily thanks to the smaller ducts used in high-velocity systems, there is less opportunity for air leakage and less surface area for conduction. As we previously mentioned, the high-velocity systems maintain constant air pressure, meaning that you are not wasting energy each time your system turns on. Instead of waiting for cool air to start flowing into the room, your high-velocity system will immediately start pumping cool air into your living spaces. With less wasted energy, leakage, and conduction, you will be saving money and energy with your high-velocity system.
- Fast and Non-Invasive Installation
Whether you are building a new home or moving into a place with no cooling, installing an air conditioner is a top priority. Getting standard ducts installed can get expensive and messy. Usually duct installation takes while and can damage parts of your home. If it is already the middle of summer, you may end up waiting weeks in the heat until your standard HVAC system is up and running. Thankfully, a high-velocity system takes up much less space and can be installed quickly without any major disturbances to your home.
- Ideal for Retrofitting Older Homes
If you are embarking on a retrofitting project, but it's an older home without any air conditioning ducts, you definitely want to consider a high-velocity HVAC system. You can save time and money on your retrofit as high-velocity systems do not require you to add ducts, so you can preserve the look of your home. Compared to traditional air conditioning systems, high-velocity systems take much less time to install. By choosing a high-velocity system, you can have all the comfort of a modern air conditioner without much of the hassle.
Is a High-Velocity HVAC System the Right Choice for My Home?
Though high-velocity systems have incredible advantages, they may not work for every homeowner
Now that we have discovered some of the major benefits associated with high-velocity HVAC systems, it is time to determine if a high-velocity system is right for you. There are many benefits to high-velocity systems, but there are also a handful of drawbacks that should be taken into consideration.
- Distraction
One of the drawbacks of a high-velocity system is the potential for distracting operation. When air is moved through your home at high speed, it is forcefully pushed into your living spaces. Though some may find this distracting due to the high air pressure, there is a lot of flexibility as to where you can place the vents. Because of this phenomenon, many people choose to place the vents away from where people will directly feel the cool air.
- No Zones
Another potential drawback for high-velocity systems is that they are unable to create zones. Since all of the cool air is coming from the central unit, high-velocity systems are unable to use zones like systems with separate units in each room.
Before deciding on a high-velocity HVAC system for your home, you should contact the plumbing experts at Restano for advice. Our team will assist in everything you need to get started installing a new HVAC system. You can trust our team of experts to us to set out the best plan for your home and help you along every step of the way!