Heating, Cooling, and Comfort Options for New Homes

Building a new home involves many decisions. Choosing all the options related to your new home comfort and energy efficiency can be very confusing. For your convenience, we have tried to simplify all the choices below. Checklist for new home comfort options

Get The Checklist Here!

Precision Comfort Systems will help you choose the best comfort related items for your family. The table below will guide you to most of the comfort options we offer for new homes. Click on the links in the first column to learn about each option. Print the Checklist to the right. This will help you go through the options and allow you to take notes on your choices.

One thing to keep in mind, many of these options are much easier to implement during new home construction than they are after you move in. We can explain which ones are the most important.

Do You Need: Why should you be interested? Considerations:
1) Geothermal or Conventional Furnace and AC Geothermal heating and cooling is the most energy efficient way to comfort your home. Geothermal features: Low energy costs, No outdoor unit, and longer life expectancy. How long will you live in this home?   How large is your property? Is Natural gas available? Is Energy Savings a primary goal? What are your utility rates?
2) More than one System Families building a new home that is more than one level and larger than 3000 square feet will enjoy much greater comfort control by having a separate comfort system for the upstairs. Are you planning a two story home?   How large is your home? Is upstairs comfort control a primary goal in both winter and summer?
3) Zoning Multiple thermostats in your home will increase your comfort in different seasons, during different times of the day and even allow for personal temperature preferences. Large, multi-level homes with a single large heating and cooling system are the type homes that need zoning for better comfort. Zoning may require additional space for extra ducting.
4) Upgrade Thermostat Comfort control in your home can be as simple as on and off or the thermostat can be upgraded to include many new features such as: programmable, touch screen, Wi-Fi connected, multiple appliance control and many more. The more advanced your heating and cooling system, the more likely you are going to appreciate precise control features. Example, Wi-Fi can help us monitor your system’s performance and we can anticipate problems before they occur.
5) Upgrade Air Filtration There are many levels of air cleaning that can be part of your heating and cooling system. A standard 1 inch filter is adequate for your system’s performance, but will not noticeably clean your air. Do you have allergies?   Do you have a little extra space in the mechanical area for an upgraded filter cabinet?
6) Humidifier     Add moisture in the winter New, air-tight, energy efficient homes may not need extra humidity in the winter months. But if you want better control over dry winter air, a humidifier will alleviate dry conditions. Is your home very air tight?   Are you sensitive to dry air in winter? Will you ventilate your home? (See item 8 below)
7) Dehumidifier,  Lower humidity in the spring summer and fall New Energy Efficient homes with high performance windows will see less AC run times but potentially higher humidity. A whole-house dehumidifier will greatly increase summer comfort. If extra outside air ventilation is planned, this option should be part of your ventilation system. Do you have high efficiency windows?   Is your home shaded by trees? Do you have a basement? Do most windows face north & south? Are you planning to use mechanical fresh air ventilation?
8) Outside Air Ventilation New Energy Efficient home strategies sometimes suggest ventilating the home with outside air. The more air-tight the home and the less door traffic there is, the more this is needed.   Dehumidifiers are recommended when outside ventilation is planned. Is your home very air tight?   Will you have; smoking, above normal cooking, pets or hobbies that produce pollutants? Is your home Energy Star rated? How much door traffic do you have?
9) Ultraviolet Light Ultraviolet light kills many growth organisms. Ultraviolet light(s) placed in your furnace or air handler will minimize any mold or bacteria where the light shines. Have you owned a home or heating/cooling system in the past that improved your health or comfort with ultraviolet lights installed?
10) Extended Warranty Normal warranties will include (for example) five year parts and one year labor. You can increase your peace of mind by extending warranties up to ten years for parts and labor.
11) Duct Cleaning Many homes getting a new comfort system have never had their duct system cleaned. Now is the time to do this. New homes especially may have construction dirt, dust and objects in the ducts. For existing homes, have you ever had your ducts cleaned?   In new home construction, did the duct openings remain sealed through construction? Did the fan run during construction?
12) Geothermal Option: Desuperheater Since you chose geothermal, you have the option of heating your domestic water from “waste heat” from the geothermal system in the summer. It also improves water heating efficiency in the winter. How many people in your family?   Do you use hot water for clothes washing? Do you use air conditioning  during most of the summer?
13) Geothermal Option: Intellistart Since you chose geothermal, you have the option of using a soft start feature for the geothermal compressor. This minimizes light flicker and will allow backup generators to work better. It will also increase the life of your compressor. Are you planning to have a backup generator supply power to the geothermal system? For existing homes, is your home prone to flickering lights?
14) Geothermal Option: Symphony Advanced Controls Since you chose geothermal, you have the option of installing advanced controls that allow energy use monitoring, remote diagnostics and many other advanced control and performance features. Would you like to track the energy performance of your new geothermal system? Would you like Precision Comfort Systems to be able to evaluate the performance of your system remotely?
Click the page links above to see more information on each option.