Interior Heating & Cooling

6 Things to Know If You Hate Your Home Heating System

This time of year, it’s easy to imagine the conditions that await you upon leaving the house—a blast of bitterly cold air and a slippery path to your frost-covered car. Though unpleasant and inconvenient, such seasonal conditions rarely come as a surprise. Likewise, you know what to expect inside the home as well—a warm, cozy, and comfortable respite from winter's worst. The trouble is that in many homes, the HVAC doesn't meet expectations. If you're tired of being unsatisfied and frustrated with your heating system, bear in mind that unlike the weather, you can change it. And for homeowners, there's never been a more enticing time to upgrade. Recent years have witnessed innovation in countless product categories, including heating and cooling. Where traditional forced-air systems fall short, options like the Unico System succeed in delivering efficient, high-performance climate control, which promotes indoor air quality even while protecting the architectural integrity of your home. Indeed, while lackluster heating may have been the norm in the past, it isn't anymore. Click through for everything you need to know. This content has been brought to you by The Unico System. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila.com.
Donna Boyle Schwartz Avatar

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More ›

You can be more comfortable.

unicosystem.com

In any room of the house, you feel warmest—perhaps even too warm—next to the heating vent. As you move away, it gets cooler and cooler until, on the other side of the room, you feel chilly enough to put on a sweater. Hot and cool spots are almost a certainty in a home heated by traditional forced air. But with Unico System, temperatures never vary more than two degrees. The technology ensures that as conditioned air enters the living spaces, it draws the ambient air into its stream, creating full coverage and even distribution throughout the home. That way, regardless of whether you are standing in the hall or sitting in the dining room, the temperature you get is the temperature you set.

HVAC can be beautiful.

unicosystem.com

The Unico System has been carefully engineered to be as unobtrusive as possible. So while traditional systems require bulky soffits, drop ceilings, and large rectangular registers, all of which compromise aesthetics, Unico remains almost completely invisible. In fact, the only part of the system that you would see are the round or slotted, compact outlets that feed warmth into the living areas. The outlets are available in dozens of finishes, and can also be painted or stained to correspond perfectly with the rest of the space. Rather than work against it, Unico works in concert with your decor.

HVAC doesn't have to be dusty.

fotosearch.com

It’s only a matter of time before dust, dirt, germs and allergens collect in the ductwork of traditional forced-air. The HVAC blasts those impurities directly into the living areas, greatly diminishing indoor air quality. Air filters help, of course, but not to the degree we would like. By contrast, Unico works to nurture a healthy home environment. For one thing, due to the high-velocity movement of air through its mini ducts, Unico prevents impurities from recirculating. At the same time, the technology also supports a range of products that actively clean the air, and that includes filtration advanced enough to capture 90 percent of airborne particulates. Finally, Unico excels in ensuring the availability of fresh air; in fact, it’s the only manufacturer fully compliant with the latest ventilation standards set by the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Simply put: With the Unico System in place, you can breathe easier at home.

Not all systems are loud.

unicosystem.com

It’s impossible to ignore the operation of conventional heating, being that such systems announce themselves with a roar. The noise continues for a period of time, suddenly grinds to a halt, then returns some minutes later, drawing your attention once more. The cycle repeats, over and over, all winter long. In contrast, the Unico System provides whisper-quiet climate control by gently distributing conditioned air through mini supply ducts, each ringed in dual-layer, sound-dampening insulation. The air handler runs quietly too, thanks to the closed-cell foam designed to hush its internal components. So in addition to total comfort, you also get to enjoy the sound of silence.

You may be wasting energy dollars.

fotosearch.com

When people bemoan the high cost of home heating, often they are criticizing, knowingly or unknowingly, one particular system—the most ubiquitous type—traditional forced air. Though not without virtues, forced air depends on a network of rigid, full-size ducts, notoriously prone to heat loss. Leaky ducts can actually compromise overall system efficiency by 25 percent or more! That flaw may help explain your soaring bills. The Unico System, by contrast, keeps running costs low by minimizing heat loss to close to zero percent. It does so in multiple ways, but not least through dual-layer duct insulation. With virtually no energy wasted, you end up paying only for the warmth your family really felt.

New technology can save space.

unicosystem.com

To fit traditional, full-size ductwork, particularly in older homes, a range of space-hogging accommodations must be made. Besides upsetting the look of your home, things like soffits, chases, and drop ceilings steal square footage that you could otherwise devote to living or storage. Thanks to its smaller-than-average air handler and flexible, three-inch-diameter mini ducts, the Unico System occupies only one-third the area of a typical HVAC installation. In part, that means you can now keep the space you would normally lose. Homeowners in previous decades had to make sacrifices for climate control. But with Unico, you get a system that works for you—not the other way around.