Central Air in Baseboard Heated Homes: Energy & Cost-Efficient
There are a few simple truths about living in Sacramento: First, if you live here, you will learn to love our beautiful trees. Seriously, I don’t think any other city in the world has as many—or as many different types—as we do here. I regularly drive down streets that have palm trees, Redwoods, and pines all on the same plot. Secondly, when people ask you about where you live, you can tell them you live two hours from everything—the Bay Area, Napa, Tahoe—and that weekend trips are an absolute must.
This third point, though, in my opinion, is the most important: If you live in Sacramento, you want to have central air that you can rely on for our hot, hot, hot summer days. Now, many of the houses in our area are a bit older, and they weren’t entirely designed for central air. Homeowners often think this means that it would be too extensive or costly to add central air, but that’s simply not true. That’s why today I’d like to talk about how adding central air to a baseboard heated house is a great idea in Sacramento.
Yes, the simple truth is that having central air is comfortable, any air conditioning repair professional will tell you that, but it’s also energy and cost-efficient as well. With that in mind, let’s look now at what adding central air to your home entails, how it can make it more energy and cost-efficient, and why you’ll want to work with an experienced HVAC pro to get it done!
How to Add Central Air to Your Baseboard Heated Sacramento Home
In the past, I’ve talked a few times about the process of replacing your air conditioner and furnace with a new model, but I’ve yet to get into the specifics about what you need to do when it comes to adding central air to your baseboard heated house. While there are similarities, overall it’s a bit of a different process.
There are a number of variables that will affect the job and all that it entails, including the size of the house, how many vents the design would need, and whether there’s room to add ducts in the ceiling.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s assume that we’re talking about a baseboard heated house that doesn’t have ductwork and is currently relying on window air conditioning. There are a number of variables that will affect the job and all that it entails, including the size of the house, how many vents the design would need, and whether there’s room to add ducts in the ceiling.
If the house is a single story home with an attic, for example, the entire process becomes quite a bit easier. I mention all of this because when it comes to figuring out what the job entails for your home, the best piece of advice I can give you is to leave yourself plenty of time to get an estimate from a qualified HVAC company. Time is absolutely key here.
Adding Central Air to Your Baseboard Heated House: How it Saves Energy and Money
The main way that adding central air to your baseboard heated house saves you both energy and money is that it reduces your reliance on window air conditioners. Window AC units are inherently less efficient because they need to be run much longer to do the same amount of cooling since their reach is so limited. Let’s face it, in Sacramento our summers are way too hot to survive without any kind of cooling.
…you’re going to be running some form of cooling one way or the other, and central air is more efficient than any combo of fans and window air conditioners I’ve ever seen.
Simply put, you’re going to be running some form of cooling one way or the other, and central air is more efficient than any combo of fans and window air conditioners I’ve ever seen. Another benefit of adding central air is that you can use the occasion to make sure your house is properly sealed with things like insulation and energy efficient windows too, ensuring that once the air in your home is cooled, it won’t pass so easily through your windows and walls. All of this has the net effect of requiring you to use less power to cool your house down, which lowers your utility bills and ultimately saves you money.
Why You Should Work with an HVAC Pro When Adding Central Air to Your Baseboard Heated House
This last piece of advice is very important: when it comes to adding central air to your baseboard heated home, you should, without question, work with an experienced HVAC contractor. The reason for this is two-fold. First of all, this is a big lift, regardless of how handy you are. There’s a lot of precise work that needs to be done, and working with a pro ensures that it will get done right.
…a trained HVAC professional can help you learn about and apply for regional energy efficiency financing programs like PACE, HERO, CaliforniaFIRST, SMUD, and Ygrene.
Secondly, a trained HVAC professional can help you learn about and apply for regional energy efficiency financing programs like PACE, HERO, CaliforniaFIRST, SMUD, and Ygrene. I’ve talked quite a bit about California’s energy efficiency financing programs in the past, but what I think is most important for homeowners in Sacramento to realize is that an experienced HVAC installation professional can help you pick the one that’s right for you, while also ensuring that the work they do is within the financing requirements. Basically, you’ll guarantee that all the little tricky things are covered.
To recap, yes, Sacramento is a hot (and lovely) city, one where you—without question—need air conditioning to live comfortably. If you have a baseboard heated house, adding central air is a great idea for your comfort alone. To make it even more worthwhile, though, is understanding that it can also save you both energy and money.
Once you’ve decided to install central air, the most important thing to do is to find an experienced HVAC installation expert to give you an estimate for your project. Here at Bell Brothers, we can make sure you apply for and receive any energy efficiency financing you may be eligible for, and we can also make sure your home upgrade project gets done correctly and efficiently. Simply put, you can count on us!
At Bell Brothers, we’re proponents of the whole home approach to health and efficiency, including finding ways to make your HVAC system as energy efficient as possible. Contact us today to schedule a free in-home consultation.
Wondering how to finance a new furnace, or maybe even new windows and plumbing? HERO is a unique financing option that helps California homeowners afford energy efficient upgrades to their home. Contact Bell Brothers, a HERO-approved contractor, to learn more. Our local HVAC, plumbing, and window specialists will walk you through the entire process, from applications to installation.
Image courtesy YakobchukOlena