High-Efficiency Upgrades When Your New Home Has Old HVAC
Does your new South Jersey dream home have everything you want — except an excellent heating and cooling system? Maybe your home inspector (or a furnace certificate) let you know that the system in the house you’re buying won’t last much longer. Or you knew going in you’d need to replace it.
Either way, buying a house with an old heating and cooling system is an opportunity to upgrade the comfort of your new home — and save money in the long run.
In this article, we’ll discuss four great, state-of-the-art options for new heaters, ACs, boilers, and water heaters.
They’ll make any home more comfortable than even the best standard appliances. Since they’re high-efficiency, you’ll pay less on your utility bills each month with them.
They work great in every home, and we’ll point out some South Jersey-specific places where they really shine.
But first, we’ll hear from a South Jersey real estate expert who will tell you how to make the most of things when you find out the heating and cooling in the house you’d like to buy isn’t that great.
In the meantime, please feel free to call or email us with any questions about the heating system in your Cape May or Atlantic County home — or in the house you’d like to buy! We’ll help you make sure you’re staying comfortable and keeping your bills low.
How To Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality
What To Do When Your New Home Has An Old HVAC System
First of all, don’t worry: You’ll know if the home you want to buy has an old or failing heating and cooling system well before you sign any papers. And, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make the most of the situation.
“Typically, the inspector looks over the system, and if it needs it, he’ll recommend a specific inspection by a company like Broadley’s,” explained Pete Madden. He’s the owner and managing broker of Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty.
In particular, they check for:
- The age of the system
- If it needs repair or replacement
- How often it’s been serviced
That last one is an important consideration in a shore town, warns Madden: “A lot of HVAC systems in rental homes haven’t been properly maintained.”
Depending on the condition, you could opt for a credit, where you’ll pay less for the house or get some money in seller’s assist that offsets your down payment.
The other option is a home warranty, which can cover you if anything breaks down, usually within a year of buying the house.
If you go for credit, you can use the extra funds for a replacement system if you want. This would be an opportunity to upgrade to a system that uses less energy and offers better comfort.
Four Great High-Efficiency Heating And Cooling Upgrades
- Ductless Heating and Cooling
- Tankless Water Heaters
- Combi Boilers
- Variable-Speed HVAC
Ductless Heating And Cooling
So many old, beautiful Victorians and other pre-war houses don’t have ductwork in them. You see a lot of these in Cape May, especially. Most use hot water heat with radiators.
Adding ductwork for forced air would be expensive — and intrusive! You’d put ductwork and soffits to almost every room. It’d ruin the look and feel of the place.
Instead, ductless heating and cooling installation is easy and out-of-the-way. You can keep the look and feel of a historic home — or any house. And that’s just the start.
These systems are whisper-quiet and get rid of hot and cold spots in every room. You can outfit your entire home this way or treat a few areas that are never quite right.
And, they use a fraction of the energy that any gas furnace, radiator, or baseboard heater requires.
Read More: How Does Ductless Heating And Cooling Work?
Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters don’t store dozens of gallons of hot water like a conventional setup. Instead, the tankless system heats the water instantly when you turn on a tap, dishwasher, washing machine, shower, or bath.
This is huge for homes in Ocean City, Avalon, and other shore towns especially.
Imagine everyone coming home from the beach — and the last person to shower not getting stuck with lukewarm or freezing cold water! Since the water only heats up when you turn on the tap, the hot never runs out.
And, it saves you money!
You don’t pay to heat all that water 24/7. And, you don’t run the tap for a minute or so, wasting water while you’re waiting for it to heat up.
Read More: Tankless Vs. Conventional Water Heaters
Combi Boilers
Combi boilers combine a tankless water heater with boiler heat for the house. Short for “combination,” these do it all with one tiny unit.
And, “tiny” is what we’re focused on here. Since so many homes in Cape May and Atlantic Counties are close to the ocean, very few have basements.
We’re all familiar with that one closet where you can’t keep anything because there’s a furnace or boiler in it. Well, this little guy frees up a lot of space!
You go from two units (water heater and boiler) down to just one small combi boiler. And, you get rid of both tanks.
Read More: Combi Boiler Upgrade In Ventnor, NJ [Case Study]
Variable-Speed HVAC
Newer homes all over South Jersey have forced-air gas heat with central air. That’s a furnace and AC with ductwork and vents. When you upgrade the mechanicals to variable-speed systems, you’ll make your home much more comfortable. And, you’ll pay much less on your energy bills.
Your standard heater or central air turns on when the temperature drifts. It overcompensates by a few degrees and turns back off.
When the temperature drifts again, the cycle repeats. It usually happens a few times every hour.
Meanwhile, you’re likely noticing when the temperature dips and peaks. You also get hot and cold spots, and your energy bills are higher than they should be.
Instead, variable-speed units run most of the time in low-power mode. They use just a little bit of power to maintain a steady temperature.
That’s especially useful with high ceilings, large rooms, or an open floor plan. You get more consistent, even heating and cooling everywhere.
And, it costs less to run!
Any HVAC system uses a lot of energy every time it needs to start up. With constant low-power work, that’s less energy to keep it going.
Heating And Cooling Near South Jersey
We know there’s a lot of information in this article. If you want to learn more about any of these appliances, you can click the links to learn more. Or, reach out to us here at Broadley’s!
We’re here to help homeowners and prospective buyers in Marmora, Upper Township, Cape May, Avalon, and across South Jersey. Call or email us for a free consultation.