AC for old home with rads for heating

[hotcoffee76]

Hi,

I have some ongoing home automation projects in my 100yr old home. We have decided that we would like to install air conditioning and I want to see what options I have to position myself for integration with a home automation setup.

For HA, I am using UPB for switches and have some X10 wireless devices (mostly for motion detection and RF remotes). I will do some integration on the PC once I settle on software.

We have no ductwork, since the house is heated with a hot water rad system. I have no plans on changing this, and do not want to run aluminum ducts.

The house is 3600 sq ft split evenly between the 2 main floors. The AC solution I go with should also be able to cover our attic, since that will be ~900 sq ft. when finished.

Is there some sort of solution that is extendable? Separate zone control would be nice as well.

Any thoughts people might have on good AC options would be welcome. I am also figuring out budget, and this is something I may defer for a year if there is specific equipment/setup that warrants the extra saving time and maybe an interim solution.

Apologies if this is too general a question. I am in the early planning stage and am trying to collect as much information as possible.

Thanks,

 

[GadgetBoy]

I also have radiators in my house and no ductwork. I would like to integrate an AC system into my current Homeseer setup. My units do have remote sensors - maybe incorporate something to turn the AC on if the windows are closed or the whole house fan on if the windows are open and the outside temp < 80 degree...

The possibilities are endless...

 

[gatchel]

If you are going to have an attic floor you definitely want to zone the system if you can.

Have you heard of SpacePak systems. Small ducts and very good performance.

http://www.spacepak.com/

 

[walken100]

We have no ductwork, since the house is heated with a hot water rad system. I have no plans on changing this, and do not want to run aluminum ducts.

The house is 3600 sq ft split evenly between the 2 main floors. The AC solution I go with should also be able to cover our attic, since that will be ~900 sq ft. when finished.

Search on "mini split". These systems are common in Europe and Asia and becoming more common here. No duct work. Evap is in the space being cooled with refrigerant piping to and from the space. Most have remote control options and tend to be more feature rich than US ducted systems. There are a variety of evap styles from very visible to nearly invisible so be sure to look around. Not sure if any can be easily integrated into an HA system but I suspect all can be with some work.

However.... 3600 Sqft is big. If you don't cool everything at once Mini splits are still nice as you are only paying to cool parts of the building. If you want the whole house cool at the same time the efficiency of some of the ducted systems is hard to beat. You will need to consider your annual cooling hours and how much you want to spend on your electric bill.

Not sure if this is even close to whay you are considering but its an option.

PS. many of these systems can be run as heat pumps so if you have an area that needs spot heating this might be an option as well.

 

[signal15]

Those systems that have the cores in each room are spendy. I looked into one for another house that I have, and it was about 4 times as much as central air. You might also take a look at high velocity systems. They only require 2" PVC piping to each room, and they have special outlets on them to keep the airflow quiet. I know of a 200 year old 15,000 sq. ft. mansion cooled by one of these systems, and it works awesome.

 

[potts.mike]

I have been seeing commercials for a mitsubishi ductless system which would be perfect for our small home in denver. All we need cooled is the bedroom some evenings. I have been too scared to look and see what the cost is for something like this, anyone have a ballpark figure on price?

 

[gatchel]

Those systems that have the cores in each room are spendy. I looked into one for another house that I have, and it was about 4 times as much as central air. You might also take a look at high velocity systems. They only require 2" PVC piping to each room, and they have special outlets on them to keep the airflow quiet. I know of a 200 year old 15,000 sq. ft. mansion cooled by one of these systems, and it works awesome.

The spacepak system I posted previously is such a system. They do work really well.

 

[signal15]

I have been seeing commercials for a mitsubishi ductless system which would be perfect for our small home in denver. All we need cooled is the bedroom some evenings. I have been too scared to look and see what the cost is for something like this, anyone have a ballpark figure on price?

When I looked at them, I think it was around $1500 for the outdoor part of it, and another 800-1200 for the unit that goes in each room. Keep in mind that you also must plumb the indoor units into a drain, or put the drain tube out the wall. You also need to be able to run the copper freon tubing, which may actually be harder than running duct without kinking it.