The popularity of tiny homes is growing across the country, homes which are officially less than 670 square feet and built to be portable.
- Tiny houses offer a compact, efficient lifestyle, but indoor comfort is just as important as it is in traditional, full-size homes.
For tiny home owners who need possibilities appropriate to a smaller scale residence, staying cool while in the summer or hot while in the wintertime poses identifiable challenges. For maximum indoor comfort in a small space, here are some heating, ventilation, and A/C design options. A window cooling system is affordable and easy to install with minimal alterations, but window units may be noisy in small indoor spaces. As they occupy a window, they also reduce outdoor light, which can be a major issue in tiny homes with limited windows. For wintertime warmth, electric or gas furnaces will be needed since window cooling systems only cool the premises. Ductless mini-split units cool and heat the condo separate from taking up window space or requiring HVAC ducts. An individual room mini-split or a tiny house mini-split is designed for small spaces. Indoor air handlers are mounted on walls or ceilings, and an outdoor heat pump can be hard-mounted to the house’s exterior wall. A little refrigerant conduit links the two units and only requires a more than three-inch opening in the exterior wall. Heat pumps cool like cooling systems in summer, and during wintertime, they produce heat to keep the place warm. Mini-split systems are significantly more high-priced than window units. A qualified heating, ventilation, and A/C contractor must also install the unit due to its greater technical complexity. In the long run, however, heat pumps provide lower operating costs and greater cooling/heating efficiency due to their compact design, power, and energy efficiency.