Financing5 Tips for Cooling Your Historic Home
From the adobe architecture of the desert to Victorian mansions on the West Coast, historic houses are standouts in any community.
One of the challenges in maintaining a vintage home is balancing the need for modern conveniences, such as air conditioning, with your home’s historical characteristics.
While you pride yourself on architectural authenticity, you may be less enthusiastic about period-accurate heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) techniques. Think ice blocks, cellars, and sleeping porches!
HVAC Professionals
Fortunately, you can celebrate historic integrity without compromising comfort. Carrier Cooling Center can lend a hand in your search for a cooling system that integrates flawlessly into your home while operating efficiently and within your budget.
At Carrier Cooling Center, we work with expert HVAC teams in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. Our online directory can connect you with a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer that will help you fulfill your cooling needs. Click on our Find A Dealer link to choose an HVAC professional.
5 Home Cooling Tips
As you think about installing or upgrading the cooling system in your historic home, consider these tips:
- Keep Cool In, Heat Out
Some materials and construction techniques in older homes have withstood the test of time, but others, such as asbestos-containing insulation, are inadequate, dangerous, or out-performed by modern products.
You can ensure your home is energy-efficient by upgrading your insulation, caulking gaps around windows and doors, and air sealing your home’s envelope.
Weatherizing your home will keep heat out and lessen the stress on your cooling system. To pinpoint priority upgrades, get an energy audit through one of our Carrier Cooling Center dealers. - Ductwork
Inspect your ductwork for holes and cracks before adding or upgrading your cooling system. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), leaky ductwork wastes 30 percent of the energy consumed for heating and cooling.
Energy-efficient ductwork will move cool air into your living space and not leak it into the attic, crawlspace, or basement. - High-Efficiency AC, Heat Pumps
Carrier is the leader in HVAC industry products, and its founder, Willis Carrier, invented the first electric air conditioner. The Carrier Factory Authorized Dealers in our Carrier Cooling Center have some of the best high-efficiency air conditioners and heat pumps at their fingertips.
Why high efficiency? Although they typically cost more than standard systems with their advanced compressor systems, they reduce energy consumption and lower cooling bills, saving money and recouping investment costs over time.
Ask your Carrier dealer about Carrier’s 24VNA6 high-efficiency air conditioner. Its variable-speed compressor constantly adjusts output to meet your cooling needs. It boasts a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio 2 (SEER2) of 24 and can remove 400 percent more moisture from the air than standard units.
The higher the SEER2 number, the more efficient the system.
If you are looking for a system that cools and heats, consider the Carrier 25VNA4 heat pump. It has a variable-speed compressor, a SEER2 of 22, and delivers superior humidity control and quiet operation. - High-Velocity AC
High-velocity air conditioning is the perfect alternative to conventional ductwork, which often requires extensive construction and alterations to floors and walls to fit into tight spaces.
This type of system uses tubing rather than larger conventional air ducts. Instead of large supply and return air vents, the tubing connects to small, round vents placed on the walls or near the ceiling.
High-velocity AC is energy-efficient and takes up less space than conventional ductwork. - Ductless Cooling Systems
A ductless mini split provides a forced-air cooling system without a central air handler.
This system consists of an outdoor compressor unit—an air conditioner or heat pump—and one or more air handlers installed on the walls or in the ceiling of rooms you want to cool. A power cable and refrigerant line connect the indoor and outdoor units without the need for major structural changes to your home.
Each air handler has a thermostat and works independently, enabling you to customize the temperature from room to room.
Ductless mini splits are energy-efficient, and their air handlers need only a small hole in the wall to connect with refrigerant and power lines. Conventional ductwork may require more extensive construction inside walls and floors.
Cool Your Historic Home Today
With 30 percent federal tax credits available for qualified air conditioners and heat pumps through 2032, there is no better time to install a cooling system in your historic home. You can get up to a $600 credit for AC and $2,000 for heat pumps.
Let a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer recommend the best cooling system for your historic home. Visit our Carrier Cooling Center directory to find a dealer in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. Click our Find A Dealer online link to get started.