In the new home market, there’s an increasing demand for energy efficiency. This trend is pushing more custom homes to have HVAC ducts in conditioned spaces (where heated or cool air flows through). The ducts you commonly see in attics or crawl spaces are technically outside the building’s thermal boundary. In fact, these ducts often lose about 15% to 20% of the air going through them.
The process of building ducts inside the conditioned space has led many projects to use ductless systems as the solution. What if there was a better way? Join us as we dive into why The Unico System is the best option for building ducts in conditioned spaces.
Why You Should Choose The Unico System Over Ductless Options
While ductless systems may seem like a great option for keeping ducts inside the home, they come with one big disadvantage—altering the aesthetics. Ductless units are hung on walls indoors. This sticks out and clashes with the design of the home. Many homeowners say that these units look bulky, especially when surrounded by the modern look of a custom home.
The Unico System is virtually unnoticeable while providing optimal comfort. By being 33% the size of traditional ductwork, Unico ducts can be threaded through tight spaces. You’ll even have the option of running ductwork through hallways for super short runs into every room. Homeowners can also get customized soffits to match the paint color or floor material.
Having Ducts in Conditioned Spaces Gives You Higher HVAC Quality
With ducts in conditioned spaces, you’ll have greater visibility of the HVAC system. If the system is in the attic or crawl space, they are out of sight, making it easier for problems to arise without the homeowner knowing. When ducts are built inside the conditioned space of the home, everything is visible and can be easily accessed in the floor joist space.
The process of getting ducts in conditioned spaces is much easier when it’s started during the design phase of custom home construction. Unico’s Design Services is a free resource that uses your project plans to calculate the right number of ducts each room needs. Given the compact size and high speed of Unico ducts, you’ll have more freedom with outlets that are only five inches in diameter.
The Unico System Has Smaller Ducts with High Velocity
In most cases, traditional ductwork is around six inches in diameter. The size of these ducts often makes it challenging to run them throughout the inside of home without running into other essential parts of the infrastructure. The Unico System has small ductwork that is only two inches in diameter. That means you’ll have much more flexibility in how the home is conditioned.
This small-duct high-velocity system can deliver up to nine tons of conditioned air without compromising the design of a new home. With The Unico System, it’s easier to optimize the HVAC energy efficiency of a home. Smaller high-velocity ducts are a great option to get efficiency credits that many local utilities and governments offer for new home construction.
The Unico System Offers Draft-free, Even Temperatures
The Unico System also creates efficiency by ensuring each room is conditioned with draft-free, even temperatures, which is accomplished in two ways:
1. The supply tubing used in The Unico System is wrapped in insulation and an outer vapor barrier to keep more thermal energy within the ducts. Ducts that are run through the home will have less thermal loss.
2. The Unico System uses a principle called aspiration to create a gentle suction around itself that draws the room air into its stream of cooled air. This delivers draft-free, even cooling, from room to room, floor to floor, and floor to ceiling.
The Unico System is the Best Choice for Building with Ducts Inside
The Unico System makes the HVAC system more efficient for custom home projects. Get draft-free, even temperatures for each room and create more effective duct runs. If you’re interested in seeing the benefits small ducts can offer your project, be sure to reach out to our Design Services team.
