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Best heating and AC systems?

5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

We are building a new home in Southern California. About 6000sqft, 3 story home. Gym, play area downstairs. Open floor plan and 2 offices ground floor, and bedrooms upstairs.

We ideally do not like blowing air systems, (have severe pollen and dust allergies) so we were considering a radiant heat but we do like hardwood floors for main and top floors. is that compatible?

We also need AC.

So what is the best heating system? Electric radiant? Heat pumps?

We will have solar panels.

Thank YOU!!

Comments (13)

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    If you don’t like blowing air, that means no air conditioning. Radiant is a ridiculous expensive unusable overkill in a warm climate. Your best bet is a fireplace for the tiny bit of winter, and sweat it out during the summer. Like the old homes were built. And like the old homes were built, use passive solar positioning to get in winter sun, and shade from summer sun.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    For dust and pollen: Look into zoned air purifier systems. They're quite expensive (think museum quality installation) but they worked well for some people last year during the many fires that sent smoke everywhere. You can also get special window screens that hold filters if you want to open your windows. Two Roombas per floor running on automatic schedules will reduce dust.

    For HVAC, you will need to consult a local pro. Having a system that can't be serviced locally is a non-starter. Radiant floor heat may or may not be enough for your location. Local pros will also have ideas about how to reduce your exposure to blowing cooled air, probably by directing air away from where residents will sit, stand or sleep.

  • 5 years ago

    I guess I should have said we do not like hot air blowing at us. AC is needed for a month or two, we put HEPA filters on them. Is is been really hot for the last few years. And we also do need heat. I was hoping to get some reviews from people who have floor radiant heat how do they like it.
    We are consulting with a local HVAC company but i still want to hear from personal experiences and people who has them, pros and cons

    Thank you!

  • 5 years ago

    Apple pie - why do you say that radiant heat might not be enough - in So Cal? I have in-floor radiant head in northern NY, zone 4 and I love it Wood floors also..

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Radiant heating is not suited for warm climates with a wide temperature swing between night and day. Mini splits are your best choice. If you want efficiency and comfort, halve the size of your house, and reduce the ceiling height. That’s true no matter what system you choose.

  • 5 years ago

    This info might be helpful. Radiant would be nice, especially if supplied with hot water from a solar array rather than a boiler, as mentioned in this article.


  • 5 years ago

    Yes this is helpful, I will look into a combination of mini-duct and radiant systems. Thank you!!

  • 5 years ago

    In a tighter house, you might not find the need for heat very much. People sometimes are used to living in old structures, that they want to plan a system for an old structure. CA won't let you build a crap structure so your heat retention on cool nights will be very high.

    You would probably spend $50k on a radiant system (over a furnace) and use it for 20 nights a year. It will heat the house up so slowly and you will be opening windows to cool it off by 11 AM.

    Presumably on your $4M house, you will have great windows facing south and the house will be relatively overheated by 11 AM on all but the cloudiest days in January.

    There is no such thing as "mini-duct". There is conventional, mini-splits and ducted mini-splits.

    There is no "best system" for every situation. Your best bet is likely conventional because your needs are modest. It will heat the house up the fastest and be the most aesthetically pleasing. When NG gets taken away, you can convert to heat pump easily and cheaper than converting a radiant solution.



  • 5 years ago

    Pete malloy, I hadn't thought about the temperature swing. I agree that keeping up with radical swings might be difficult. Mine is very slow, so I don't change the thermostat at all!

  • 5 years ago

    I lived in San Marcos CA for 30 years. We didn't use heat except on the rarest of occasions and had 2 wall ac units for the week during the summer when it got too hot. We added insulation to the attic crawlspace and added several roof vents, opened windows in the evening to cool the house and closed everything in the daytime. I added to heat fans to the bathrooms so I wouldn't be cold while getting dressed in the December/January. We had older windows, so your new home should have better insulation around the windows.


    I realize you don't want open windows, but the average daily temperature is still going to be around 65-79 every day unless you are in the higher elevations. I would invest heavily on insulation and smart window coverings and get something like mini-splits to heat/cool when needed.

    .

  • 5 years ago

    A secondary advantage of forced air ducting is that you can add humidity to your heat in winter. We use flow-through humidifiers; no mold. We also use Aprilaire filters; cuts the dust a *lot*.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    The OP needs to spend a day reading both old and recent Houzz threads on his/her subject.