When building a new log home, one of the most important decisions you will make is choosing your heating and cooling systems. This choice will impact your comfort, your home design and your construction costs. Log homes are easy to heat and cool, but the choice depends on your personal preferences.
Heat Pump
If you are planning to use electric heat you should assess the cost of a heat pump and its efficiency. When producing heating, the outdoor coils serve as the evaporator. When producing cooling, the refrigerant flow is reversed, and the indoor coils work as the evaporation. When cooling, the refrigerant changes into a gaseous state indoors, absorbing heat, and is circulated outdoors where it releases the heat. During heating functions, the same process happens in reverse with heat being absorbed from the outdoor air and dispersed indoors.
Radiant Floor Heat
There are different types of radiant floor systems, but all work by heating floors from underneath, creating a home that is heated evenly and quietly. The level of conductivity in the radiant panel is an important factor in its overall performance, and can it be installed over a concrete slab or a framed floor system.
Geothermal Heat Pump
A series of pipes called the loop are buried in the ground or submerged water at a depth where the temperature stays constant all year round and has water or an antifreeze circulating through the loop pipes. The solution captures heat indoors and pulls it outside in the summer and draws in heat out of the ground or water in the winter to the interior of the home.
Ductless Heat Pump
This system uses an outdoor heat pump and four or more indoor air handling units to produce heating and cooling. It offers the same benefits as standard heat pump but is more flexible in placement of units.
Hybrid Furnace
The hybrid dual fuel system may be useful in climates that dip below 30 degrees Fahrenheit since a heat pump does not perform well in these climate conditions. The hybrid furnace uses electricity (from a heat pump) as its primary source of power but has another fuel source (like propane or natural gas) that kicks in when higher demands are placed on the system.
Zone Heating and Cooling
This system allows you to heat or cool different areas of your home to different temperatures. Typically, multiple thermostats are used in different parts of the home to adjust settings.
Solar Heating
There are a variety of types of solar heat, from a passive solar design to mechanical systems, available. Many of our customers incorporate passive solar into their home designs.
We know the process of building a custom home may seem as daunting as it is exciting, but the family at Gastineau Log Homes has 40 years of experience, and we are here to help you every step of the way! Contact us, and let’s explore your log home dream together.
