Uploaded June 2020 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
Mega Build Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eiwnMEDfDmfQ7jhMwua0zX0
This will be updated as segments are added.
TONS OF CAPACITY
It’s going to take 30 tons of heating and cooling power to keep our 16,000 square foot Project House comfortable year-round—that’s a huge HVAC system by any standard. How huge? Well, each ton generates 12,000 Btu’s an hour.
“Btu” stands for “British Thermal Unit”, which is roughly the amount of energy given off by the burning of one wooden kitchen match. So our system, at full power, will generate 360,000 Btu’s of heating and cooling power an hour.
TWO FLOORS, TWO SYSTEMS
On the second floor, we’re using a system from Lennox. In the attic, four furnaces, suspended from the rafters, generate our heat. These ultra-quiet furnaces are 94% efficient and have a special blower that ramps up slowly, thus avoiding the loud thump that often lets the whole family know that the air conditioning unit has just switched on. Over a period of several years, these units will save us thousands of dollars, compared with what we would be spending if we were using older furnaces with lower efficiency ratings.
Our air conditioning evaporator coils are attached to this unit, and operate using the same high-efficiency blower.
The Project House has a total of eight outdoor condensers, each generating from two to five tons of cooling power. Our outside condensers are ultra-quiet units from Lennox. The units use specially designed fan blades to reduce fan noise and also use super-quiet Scroll compressors.
ZONING BY HONEYWELL
To make our system even more energy efficient, we’re dividing our 2nd floor HVAC into five separate zones, three of which are controlled by motorized dampers from Honeywell. You set the temperature in each zone and the system sends a signal that opens or closes motorized dampers that we’ve installed in the ductwork. Since heating and cooling accounts for 2/3 of the typical utility bill, we’re going to save a lot of money by not heating or cooling every single room in the house all the time. With zoning, each room, or suite of rooms, can have its own thermostatically controlled temperature, independent of other areas of the house.
GROUND FLOOR SYSTEM BY UNICO
The heart of the revolutionary Unico system we’re using to heat and cool the ground floor is the modular air handler we installed in four separate locations in the attic and crawlspaces. Each air handler was easily assembled in just a few minutes by our installers. Air in this system is passed directly over the evaporator coils at a colder temperature than in a conventional system, so the Unico system removes 30% more moisture in the cooling mode than conventional systems.
The Unico system will provide heat for the ground floor using hot water provided by a 175,000 Btu Lennox Conservator boiler. The Unico system can also use electric heat.
The system differs from conventional heating and cooling systems by using a high-velocity air system that distributes the air through flexible mini-ducts. The ducts are smaller and more numerous than conventional ductwork, and the outlets in each room are small and subtle. The outlets can be installed in the ceilings, walls, or even the floors. They come in wooden and plastic finishes and can be stained or painted to match the coloring of the room.
The Unico air distribution system works on the principle of “aspiration”. Unlike conventional systems, which often leave hot and cold spots as well as drafts throughout the home, Unico’s high-velocity streams of air enter a room and gently mix with the room’s existing air currents. From floor to ceiling, air temperatures are even and drafts are eliminated.
Because the air supply tubes are much narrower than conventional HVAC ductwork, the Unico system can be used to retrofit older homes, running the ductwork down the walls and in places that conventional HVAC just couldn’t go without the construction of expensive chases.
MORE FROM YOUR NEW HOUSE
Featured videos:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eiqktEDbaQunVDuiTidxPxd
Great DIY Projects from Your New House:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejNSy9ywo1mKiGaSXuTsEgE
Quick Tips - easy tips to make your projects (and life) better:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eh4zI-dJCevBTEdY5ioSAPQ
Gardening and Landscaping:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejdcWzNkAARBzUQDvT3W1ME
Adventures in Homebuilding - Home info with a smile:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehA9bTrvQ58AHfE_utaBCLc
Choosing and Using Tools with Carmen Ciricillo:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eisLdRjyue3eVZT-qjM9B6I
Factory Tours and Product Testing:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ej6wLU1NAVlWhcvVWL1ynJQ
Al Carrell - The Super Handyman:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehFhy7mXnyX_pe4v03DrqfS
Mega Build Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eiwnMEDfDmfQ7jhMwua0zX0
This will be updated as segments are added.
TONS OF CAPACITY
It’s going to take 30 tons of heating and cooling power to keep our 16,000 square foot Project House comfortable year-round—that’s a huge HVAC system by any standard. How huge? Well, each ton generates 12,000 Btu’s an hour.
“Btu” stands for “British Thermal Unit”, which is roughly the amount of energy given off by the burning of one wooden kitchen match. So our system, at full power, will generate 360,000 Btu’s of heating and cooling power an hour.
TWO FLOORS, TWO SYSTEMS
On the second floor, we’re using a system from Lennox. In the attic, four furnaces, suspended from the rafters, generate our heat. These ultra-quiet furnaces are 94% efficient and have a special blower that ramps up slowly, thus avoiding the loud thump that often lets the whole family know that the air conditioning unit has just switched on. Over a period of several years, these units will save us thousands of dollars, compared with what we would be spending if we were using older furnaces with lower efficiency ratings.
Our air conditioning evaporator coils are attached to this unit, and operate using the same high-efficiency blower.
The Project House has a total of eight outdoor condensers, each generating from two to five tons of cooling power. Our outside condensers are ultra-quiet units from Lennox. The units use specially designed fan blades to reduce fan noise and also use super-quiet Scroll compressors.
ZONING BY HONEYWELL
To make our system even more energy efficient, we’re dividing our 2nd floor HVAC into five separate zones, three of which are controlled by motorized dampers from Honeywell. You set the temperature in each zone and the system sends a signal that opens or closes motorized dampers that we’ve installed in the ductwork. Since heating and cooling accounts for 2/3 of the typical utility bill, we’re going to save a lot of money by not heating or cooling every single room in the house all the time. With zoning, each room, or suite of rooms, can have its own thermostatically controlled temperature, independent of other areas of the house.
GROUND FLOOR SYSTEM BY UNICO
The heart of the revolutionary Unico system we’re using to heat and cool the ground floor is the modular air handler we installed in four separate locations in the attic and crawlspaces. Each air handler was easily assembled in just a few minutes by our installers. Air in this system is passed directly over the evaporator coils at a colder temperature than in a conventional system, so the Unico system removes 30% more moisture in the cooling mode than conventional systems.
The Unico system will provide heat for the ground floor using hot water provided by a 175,000 Btu Lennox Conservator boiler. The Unico system can also use electric heat.
The system differs from conventional heating and cooling systems by using a high-velocity air system that distributes the air through flexible mini-ducts. The ducts are smaller and more numerous than conventional ductwork, and the outlets in each room are small and subtle. The outlets can be installed in the ceilings, walls, or even the floors. They come in wooden and plastic finishes and can be stained or painted to match the coloring of the room.
The Unico air distribution system works on the principle of “aspiration”. Unlike conventional systems, which often leave hot and cold spots as well as drafts throughout the home, Unico’s high-velocity streams of air enter a room and gently mix with the room’s existing air currents. From floor to ceiling, air temperatures are even and drafts are eliminated.
Because the air supply tubes are much narrower than conventional HVAC ductwork, the Unico system can be used to retrofit older homes, running the ductwork down the walls and in places that conventional HVAC just couldn’t go without the construction of expensive chases.
MORE FROM YOUR NEW HOUSE
Featured videos:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eiqktEDbaQunVDuiTidxPxd
Great DIY Projects from Your New House:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejNSy9ywo1mKiGaSXuTsEgE
Quick Tips - easy tips to make your projects (and life) better:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eh4zI-dJCevBTEdY5ioSAPQ
Gardening and Landscaping:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejdcWzNkAARBzUQDvT3W1ME
Adventures in Homebuilding - Home info with a smile:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehA9bTrvQ58AHfE_utaBCLc
Choosing and Using Tools with Carmen Ciricillo:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eisLdRjyue3eVZT-qjM9B6I
Factory Tours and Product Testing:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ej6wLU1NAVlWhcvVWL1ynJQ
Al Carrell - The Super Handyman:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehFhy7mXnyX_pe4v03DrqfS
