Need some AC options for a house with no forced air.

[bbarnesy]

I have a 1900sqft ranch with mostly crawl space with one room and garage on slab. Baseboard heating throughout with a stand alone wood burner. I live in southern Michigan where the temp can be below zero for several days in winter and (like today) 92 and with high humidity. I like the baseboard and wood burner combo, nice even heat with decent electric bills.
My question is what are my options for AC? Just run window units in desired rooms, install a full AC system with ducts or are there other options I can go with. I have heard that stand alone AC units are not efficent.

Thanks!!
Brian

Have been keeping windows and shades closed in the daytime and open windows at night with window box fans and have kept the house cool so far but DAMN it was hot and humid last night.

[firecontrol]

Ask 20 contractors you might get 20 options.... or more.

The use of window units is of course one of the options you can do yourself. Will it/they keep you comfortable? Only time will tell, really no way to know or even make a guess without seeing the house.

Mini Split ductless units are an option as they come in configurations that allow multiple indoor units to be connected to one outdoor unit.

Duct work, air handler and a condenser is another option. These can come in standard or high velocity systems.

Make a few calls and get some estimates. Ask if they do cooling load calculations to determine the size of AC equipment they plan on installing, if they don't I'd suggest you don't have them install their "guess". Doesn't mean they might not have a good idea of how to do things you could bounce off a more detail orientated contractor.

[George2]

If your home has a decent sized attic, you could put the air handler (AH) in the attic or if you have a closet, the AH could be installed there. The ductwork would be in the attic with the registers in the ceiling.

[dan sw fl]

Maybe a story will assist you in visualizing a cost-benefit solution fitting YOUR Needs.

http://www.lg-dfs.com/case-study-3-g...ive-homes.aspx

[bbarnesy]

Thanks everybody for the info! Would having ductwork in the attic be cost efficient? I would think with high attic temps it would make them inefficient. I like the multi zone idea, I have never heard of that but will look into getting estimates. For the same house which one is more cost effective in your utility bills, ac with traditional ductwork ( which I would have to install) or the multi zone system.

Thanks again

[George2]

Thanks everybody for the info! Would having ductwork in the attic be cost efficient? I would think with high attic temps it would make them inefficient. I like the multi zone idea, I have never heard of that but will look into getting estimates. For the same house which one is more cost effective in your utility bills, ac with traditional ductwork ( which I would have to install) or the multi zone system.

Thanks again

The multi-zone would be more energy efficient and each fan coil has it's own control. They are really nice if you don't mind the look of a fan coil on the 3-4 walls in your home.

[dan sw fl]

Where in S. MI?