3 ms·
>Contrast this with a condo in Minneapolis that I own wherein heat and AC are central in the building and individual units can set their temperature to whatever
by marcinzm 6y ago
>Contrast this with a condo in Minneapolis that I own wherein heat and AC are central in the building and individual units can set their temperature to whatever they like - all run with tremendously higher efficiency.
Is it more efficient? There is going to be loss as things get pumped across hundreds of feet even with insulation. The central system needs to run even if few units or not units are using it just in case. In Asia heating and cooling is done per room to the minimum as I understand it so "per unit temperature" wouldn't fly. And an in-room gas heater is going to be 100% efficient with no losses due to transmission.
- quickthrowman 6y agoGenerally (in a high-rise) the units are fed a steady stream of ‘supply air’ at 50 F or so, and heat pumps in the unit itself control the climate in the unit. HVAC needs to run constantly in these buildings as they’re sealed and need airflow for air exchange. Air isn’t heated and then sent thru the ducts in a high-rise building.
- bluGill 6y agoHard to say. Many central systems are old an inefficient. However modern high efficiency systems require a water drain which rooms often don't have available thus most room systems are not able to get the best modern efficiency. Most houses in Minneapolis I used to live there) have a single furnace in the basement which can achieve just as much efficiency as any other central system. There also indoor unvented space heaters. They work and are very efficient. However they put all the combustion byproducts into the air, and thus really only useful in rooms that have a lot natural ventilation (tents for example)