Hello, friends! Lately I’ve been building my dream home in my mind. I’ve also been pondering the best heating and cooling methods for a home. Here are some ground rules (things that work for me, but feel free to suggest things that don’t quite meet them).
Climate: Indianapolis, Indiana. Cold winters and hot summers, yay!
No forced air heating. I had a gf back in 2009 who lived in a pretty ordinary house with one thing special: It had a boiler heating system that was perfectly silent and did not dry out the air. OTOH, that house did not have A/C. That made a big impression on me. I hate the sound of forced air heating, its going on and off, and I am very susceptible to nosebleeds, dry throat, waking up coughing, etc., when the air gets dry. (That’s one good thing about the Indiana climate to me: it’s humid but not too humid. Well, in summer it can get a wee bit sticky…)
Preferred no forced air A/C. I turn on the A/C in the house as little as possible. I hate the feeling of cold air blowing on me, and I hate the feeling of uneven air temperatures as the cold air blows around.
Preferred no use of natural gas. I think with advanced tech, we could just get along without having gas pumped into the house. It’s one less utility bill and one less thing to worry about in life.
Do consider advanced technology. I’m interested in learning about heat pumps, co-generation systems, etc.
Make it as environmentally friendly AF. Imagine LEED certification or something equivalent.
So here’s my idea so far:
• Insulate the fahoonka out of it. I lived in an apartment with thick walls 10 years ago. Pretty much never even needed to turn on the heat, even though it had a lot of window surface area. Employ modern insulation and design techniques to minimize the need for heating and cooling in the first place.
• Install effective blinds and windows to minimize the need for cooling in the summer and maximize the benefits of sunlight in the winter.
• Install a heat pump system. Here’s where you can educate me. Does a heat pump system need to use forced air in some way? Can it handle all heating and cooling needs in the Central Indiana climate?
Thanks for your insights, my peeps!