Building a new house is an exciting process full of possibilities. While it is easy to get caught up in making your home look fabulous and updated, there is one vital part often overlooked by new homeowners: the HVAC system. Heaters, ventilation ducts and air conditioners are certainly not the most glamorous aspect of a house, but without a good system a beautiful space can still be uncomfortable—either too hot, too cold, stuffy or smelly. These major problems are easiest to fix at the beginning stages of new construction, when you can plan for a good system and lay the correct foundations for continued maintenance or tweaking.

Your HVAC system is the lungs of your house. If it is not set up properly, comfort can quickly become compromised. Zoning rooms is an effective solution to avoid rooms that are too hot or too cold, allowing individual temperature control for areas of your house. Indoor air quality can also suffer from a poor HVAC system. Inside air is easily polluted—chemicals used to clean, dust brought in on shoes, family sicknesses, mold and mildew spores, pet hair and dandruff all get trapped and recirculated through the HVAC system. However, a myriad of advanced filtrations systems, air purifiers, and capture/kill technology, such as UV lights that target bacteria and global plasma ions that attach themselves to contaminants in the air, are available to improve your indoor air quality.

The impact of your HVAC system has huge ramifications on your house. In the long run, it will be easier and more cost effective to research these options at the beginning, and design around the ones you want. Otherwise, it will be harder to change your system to make your home more comfortable after your house is already built. Encourage your builder to bring in your recommended heating and cooling company early in the building process so you can install the proper infrastructure for your HVAC system.

Need a heating and cooling expert to advise you on the best HVAC options? Reach out to Brian Schutt, Homesense Heating & Cooling.