La sostenibilidad y el uso eficiente del espacio van de la mano con una bella arquitectura, y son características de Casas de diseño Turkel. Con más de 20% de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero en EE. UU. atribuible to heating, cooling, and powering the buildings we live in, it’s imperative that new homes not only use less energy than those that came before, but also avoid the burning of fossil fuels whenever possible. That’s why, as part of our systematized design proceso, Alentamos a los propietarios de viviendas a seleccionar sistemas y electrodomésticos energéticamente eficientes.
Regardless of where you live, you want to be comfortable year-round. Wouldn’t it be great if that comfort were paired with consuming as few fossil fuels as possible and being smart about energy use and costs? Advancements in lighting, such as LED bulbs, have done their part to chip away at energy consumption in recent years. But what about heating and cooling? If you are seeking modern, sustainable living, the traditional oil or gas furnace or central air conditioning system may not fit your vision.
There are alternatives, however, that can provide more environmentally friendly and reliable solutions to home heating and cooling.
Una solución flexible
Los sistemas de bomba de calor son una de esas alternativas. Ana Hogarth, asesor energético de la firma con sede en Toronto Energía jilguero, says she often recommends heat pumps to her clients. “In colder climates, the heating system is your home’s largest energy drain, with the water heater a distant second,” she says. “Heat pumps bring your energy consumption down.”
Unlike a furnace, a heat pump system doesn’t create warm air. Instead, it collects heat from the surrounding atmosphere and brings it inside the home, or vice versa. In effect, it can replace both your heating system and your air conditioning.
Hogarth says the perception that such systems don’t work in extremely cold or warm climates is outdated. “There’s been a lot of development in ‘cold-climate heat pumps,’ which work in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius (or –22 degrees Fahrenheit),” she says. Furthermore, most systems feature an electric heat backup system just in case—so you can ensure that your home remains at a comfortable temperature without relying on fossil fuels.
Apto para todos los climas
Debido a que Turkel Design trabaja con propietarios de viviendas de todo el mundo, tenemos experiencia en el diseño para climas variados y cambiantes, así como regulaciones ambientales, en toda América del Norte y más allá. A medida que los patrones climáticos se vuelven más impredecibles, la flexibilidad de un sistema de bomba de calor puede ser una salvación. Hogarth cita recientes domos de calor in Vancouver, a city where many homes lack air-conditioning systems. Similarly, periodic ice storms in Texas have plagued homes with no furnace. A heat pump is an ideal solution for the unpredictable effects of climate change, in part, because it regulates the temperature in either direction.
Heat pumps improve your home’s livability in a number of ways. Because they deliver “ambient air all the time,” Hogarth describes the effect as “more gentle and steady” than a furnace. “You don’t get the peaks and valleys. People often find that they’re more comfortable in spaces conditioned by heat pumps.” Many ducted heat pump systems include air filtration components that help remove dust, allergens, and other airborne particles, thereby improving indoor air quality. Additionally, because the outdoor unit houses the majority of the system’s components, and the indoor air handlers are often whisper-quiet, many heat pump systems create surprisingly little noise.
Incluso puede que los encuentres útiles para múltiples espacios interiores y exteriores. Por ejemplo, en casa del desierto, Turkel Design’s “Living Lab” in Palm Springs, California, one heat pump system regulates temperature inside the home, while another heats the hot tub and pool.
Hogarth señala que tanto el Estados Unidos (como parte de la Ley de Reducción de la Inflación) y Canadá offer incentives for investing in heat pumps. In fact, as governments take stronger measures to limit the use of fossil fuels (for example, newly built homes in Quebec must be fossil fuel-free), heat pump systems are sure to rise in popularity.
Diseño para una vida sostenible
Para Turkel Design, el sistema elegido para acondicionar su vivienda es sólo un aspecto de la planificación de la sostenibilidad. Utilizamos la previsibilidad de la prefabricación para garantizar que las casas que diseñamos se construyan de manera más hermética que la mayoría, e incorporamos sistemas y estrategias energéticamente eficientes—from solar panels to passive heating and cooling—to make your home as environmentally sustainable as possible. Perhaps most importantly, when designing, we make efficient use of space, so that your home feels and lives bigger than it is, and you only heat and cool the space that you need.
Selecting an efficient heat pump system as an alternative to a fossil fuel-burning furnace might just be part of the plan that is right for your custom home.
Contáctenos to discuss how you want to live.
