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HVAC recommendations for a new build

QuintonS
QuintonS Member Posts: 20
in THE MAIN WALL

What would be the best HVAC setup for my budget friendly 1 story house I’m looking to build? Dimensions are 38x19 for the house. Looking to find a nice balance between lower on budget and pretty good efficiency

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Comments

  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,714

    Cheapest would be scorched air. (Which is why it's installed everywhere) Next,and much better would be mod-con hydronic and maybe mini splits for AC.

    I'm looking at 2 pipe steam for a new build,but my driving parameters are different.

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
    Intplm.
  • JMWHVAC
    JMWHVAC Member Posts: 63

    Two pieces of relavent info you left out. Is there a basement and what climate are you located in?

    ethicalpaul
  • QuintonS
    QuintonS Member Posts: 20
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1835842#Comment_1835842

    no basement most likely. Will be in northeast PA

  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 5,598

    balance between lower on budget and pretty good efficiency

    So, you want a Maserati but at a Kia price!

    Budget and efficiency do not play well with each other.

    Efficiency: Your best return on investment is tightening the envelop. Keep the heat from escaping. Spray foam insulation, 2 X 6 walls. 2 X 12 Roof, 4" Foam under slab. Now you can heat with a candle! But not cheap.

    No basement then slab on grade. Insulate below the slab and the perimeter and use In Floor Radiant for the heat. The more in seal up the living space the less fuel you burn.

    QuintonS
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 2,356

    Are you doing it yourself or hiring a contractor? If hiring, take a look at what they recommend and how they back up and service their product. This should go hand in hand with each other.

    QuintonS
  • Hot_water_fan
    Hot_water_fan Member Posts: 2,086
    edited January 18

    Easy choice is ducted heat pump. Include a furnace if desired. No hydronic option offers cooling for a low price, so you can dismiss all of those if cooling will be desired in the next few decades. Be careful with insulation, it’s not cost effective at many levels, especially with a house this size. Keep it simple and cheap.

    An alternative path with no cooling would be electric baseboards. They’re expensive to run but cheap to install. If the heating load is low, which in a small new house it should be, they might win out based on initial cost.

  • JMWHVAC
    JMWHVAC Member Posts: 63

    The simplest, most economical would be a high heat minisplit system. If the house floor is a slab then floor heat with a combi (to also give hot water) would give far more comfort than a minisplit. I am not a fan of combis but they are a neat way to go for small houses or apartments. You said NE pa, so depending on your elevation you may or may not be planning for AC. AC or not also figures into whether you do hydronic or not. The smaller the house the less sense hydronic makes but I would hate to live on unheated concrete.

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,509

    Is there a full attic? The smallest ducted heat pump with electric resistance auxiliary. What are the plans for domestic hot water, and where will that unit go?

  • Kaos
    Kaos Member Posts: 413

    Another vote for a ducted cold climate heat pump. In any place that already needs cooling, anything hydronic doesn't make sense as you end up essetially installing two full systems.

    With such a small space, you can get a slim concelead ducted minisplit mounted into a bulkhead above the washer between the bedrooms. Won't take up any floor space and you can run the supply trunk along the top corner of the wall to the front of the house.

    As for comfort, put your extra budget into air sealing and more insualtion. In a well sealed and insulated place the temperatures are so even that anything hydronic makes no sense.

    As for the scorched air comment earlier, it is definitely true for typical oversized furnace units where you have a blast of very hot air followed by long off times due to oversizing. A properly sized modulating heat pump (which is what you want) will run at low power all the time to provide some heat. You almost don't even notice that it is running.

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