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HVAC

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning — where that well-known acronym HVAC originates — is an interconnected mechanical network of pipes, wires, ducts and appliances that conditions the air inside a house. The system provides heat in the winter, cool air in the summer, and year-round fresh air for good health. Whether you live in the sultry South, the arid West, or the hot-and-cold Northeast, a well-designed, well-tuned HVAC system is what makes a house both healthy and comfortable.

HVAC systems can include a wide variety of components — air conditioners, attic, fans, whole-house fans, furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, and dehumidifiers. That is, anything that affects the condition of indoor air can be included. As energy-efficiency has become a more pressing issue for both builders and buyers, houses have become better insulated and better sealed. HVAC equipment that was fine in a leaky, under-insulated house from the 1950s doesn’t work very well in today’s airtight building enclosures. In this new building reality, new products have emerged, such as heat-recovery and energy-recovery ventilators and mini-split heat pumps. And as high-performance builders increasingly veer toward all-electric designs and get fossil fuels out of the house, choosing the right components becomes even more important.

Putting it all together is the job of an HVAC contractor. The job requires more than hooking up a gas furnace and calling it a day. Today’s systems have more moving parts and pieces that should be designed into a working whole, installed correctly, and, finally, “commissioned” to make sure everything works the way it’s supposed to.

It’s a brave new world for HVAC contractors, as well as the builders and homeowners who take on some of those jobs themselves. Fine Homebuilding’s library of videos and articles will help you sort it all out.

 

  • Detect Leaks With This Compact Thermal Imager

    The Pocket 2 from Hikmicro is small and priced affordably to make it easier for anyone to diagnose building-performance issues.

  • Podcast 510: PRO TALK With Engineer Steve Rogers

    In this Pro-Talk podcast, Patrick talks to Steve Rogers, president of The Energy Conservatory.

  • Designing an HVAC System for a Passive House

    Learn why these products were chosen to create balanced ventilation and improve comfort and indoor-air quality in this high-performance renovation.

  • Practical Ways to Electrify an Old House

    A heat-pump and solar-PV system transformed this 100-plus-year-old home into an energy-efficient all-electric house on its way to net-zero.

  • Choosing Between HRVs and ERVs

    Understand which type of whole-house ventilation system will create an efficient and well-ventilated home depending on certain factors.

  • Automated Indoor-Air-Quality Sensors

    The Overture system from Broan-NuTone monitors air quality and brings in fresh air when needed.

  • Improve Home Efficiency with Inflation Reduction Act Rebates

    The new legislation would provide $9 billion for efficiency upgrades, including heating, cooling and cooking appliances, photovoltaics, and electric vehicles.

  • Podcast 481: Detailing a Slab, High-Performance Water Heaters, and DIY Dense-Pack

    Andrew, Ian, and Patrick hear from listeners about HVAC training, wood pellets, and minisplits before taking questions about thermal breaks for slabs, split-style heat-pump water heaters, and doing your own dense-pack cellulose insulation.

  • Podcast 475: Material Delivery, End Dams on Head Flashing, and Sealing Barbara’s Barn

    Andrew, Ian, and Patrick hear from listeners about exposed sheathing and setting up for a blower-door test before taking listener questions about delivery subcontractors, how to make a head flashing, and sealing a post-frame building at grade.

  • Podcast 473: Heat Rising, Removing Chimneys, and Undersized Nailer Nails

    Ian, Andrew, and Patrick hear from listeners about design software and building costs before taking questions about heat flow, removing a chimney, and the right nails for sheathing.

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Fine Homebuilding

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