Many people in the Columbia, Maryland, area are deciding to expand their living spaces these days. One of the simplest ways to do that is to add a bonus room to your home. These simple additions don’t automatically cool themselves, however. If you take steps to address this issue early, you’ll have no problem making your bonus room just as comfortable as the rest of the house.
Here are five ways to heat and cool bonus rooms cost-effectively.
Expand Your Current Heating and Cooling System
By adding ductwork to your current heating and cooling system that leads into your new bonus room, you’ll be able to effectively control the temperature in that room along with the rest of your home. It’s best to do this before construction has been completed, though. Otherwise, you’ll have to tear out drywall and replace it once the ductwork has been installed. Expanding your current system is the most straightforward solution to heating and cooling your bonus room, but this option is really only viable for most people if the room hasn’t been completed yet.
Make Sure the Room Is Insulated
In some cases, keeping your bonus room at a comfortable temperature may be a simple matter of making sure it’s properly insulated. While this doesn’t necessarily give you direct control over the temperature in the room, it can go a long way toward holding in heat during the winter and keeping the room cool during summer months. This is especially useful if your bonus room is located in an attic or over your garage.
Even if you have other means of heating and cooling your bonus room in place, lack of proper insulation may mitigate their effects. If you notice your heating and cooling unit isn’t regulating the temperature in your bonus room as well as you would like, consider calling in a professional to check your insulation.
Install a Mini-Split Ductless Unit
If your bonus room has already been finished and you don’t want to go through the hassle of expanding the ductwork for your current heating and cooling system, consider installing a mini-split ductless system instead. This is a great alternative that gives you direct control over the temperature in your bonus room without affecting the rest of the house. Some mini-split ductless units can be controlled using a dedicated thermostat installed right in the bonus room, while others may be controlled with a remote control.
One of the greatest benefits of installing a mini-split ductless unit is that they are extremely energy efficient. If you choose to install a unit of this type to heat and cool your bonus room, you’ll notice very little impact on your monthly electricity consumption.
Use Landscaping to Your Advantage
Believe it or not, strategic landscaping can be a great way to keep your bonus room cool during warmer summer months. In fact, this may be something for you to consider for your entire home since the warmer months tend to see higher energy consumption from most heating and air conditioning units.
Warm sunlight is the primary natural heating factor that affects your home. By placing trees and shrubbery around your home in a thoughtful way, you can help to shield the structure from direct sunlight, effectively lowering the interior temperature of your home. This is a great idea for keeping your bonus room cool during the summer if installing a heating and cooling unit isn’t a viable option for you.
Install a Window Unit
Another fairly cost-effective step you can take is installing a window unit in your bonus room. This option doesn’t give you direct control over the temperature in the room and may not always get you the results you want in more extreme outdoor temperatures, but it’s a good option to consider if you’re working with a tight budget. Combining a window unit with other measures like strategic landscaping and proper insulation should do an adequate job of keeping your bonus room at a comfortable temperature.
Never hesitate to call in a professional for advice or to have more complex heating and cooling units installed. It’s also a good idea to let a professional handle insulation in your bonus room. Give us a call at (888) 474-3391 to set up an appointment with Griffith Energy Services today. No matter what you choose to do, these five tips should set you off in the right direction.
Image provided by Shutterstock
