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Three Common Types of HVAC Systems Homeowners Install

Ramsey Timmerman • December 28, 2022
HVAC systems (air conditioning and heating) are an essential part of keeping your home comfortable in any weather, hot or cool. There are many different types of HVAC systems available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this blog post, we'll explore the three most common types of HVAC systems in Birmingham, AL, and discuss their features and benefits.

Central Air/Gas Furnace Systems

Central air is the most common type of cooling for residential HVAC systems. These systems circulate air through supply and return ducts to AC/furnace units to both heat and cool your home. For cooling, heat is absorbed from the air inside your home and transferred outdoors via refrigerants; the result is cold air running through the ducts and vents which cool your home. Once the air warms, it circulates back into the supply duct to be cooled again at the indoor AC unit. 

For heating, gas is the most common type of residential heating system in the United States including in Birmingham Alabama. Natural gas is combusted, and the heat is transferred in your furnace to air being blown across a heat exchanger; this heated air passes through your air ducts to heat your home. 

The main benefits include:
  1. Central air and ducted systems can rapidly and efficiently cool/heat many rooms in larger homes
  2. Upfront cost for a gas system is usually less than a heat pump
  3. In cold temperatures below freezing, a gas system heats your home most efficiently
  4. Ongoing cost for maintaining your system is lower than heat pumps
    • From our experience at HVAC Home Pros, gas systems have fewer breakdowns and require less maintenance than heat pump systems. Most gas furnaces come with a 10 to 20-year parts warranty.

Heat Pump Systems

Heat pumps, the second most common type of HVAC system, use the same process as central air conditioners to cool your home, the only difference is the source of heating. With heat pumps, refrigerant is used to transfer heat both inside and outside of your home. This means that these systems can both heat and cool depending on which way the refrigerant is moving in the system. This also means that electricity from your power company is being used to heat and cool your home. Like gas systems, supply and return ducts and vents are used to transfer cooled and heated air quickly across many rooms in your home. 

The main benefits of heat pumps include:
  1. In 2023, the government is giving tax incentives to decrease the upfront cost of heat pumps
  2. Heat pumps do not require gas lines. Many people do not have access to or prefer to not have natural gas lines in their homes
  3. In warmer times of the year (30-60 degrees), heat pumps are more cost-efficient due to the rising cost of natural gas

Ductless Mini-Split HVAC systems

Mini-split air conditioners are mainly used to heat and cool one room at a time. Many homeowners use them to cool and heat additions to their homes or rooms that their current central system fails to adequately heat/cool. 

The main benefits include:
  1. Highly efficient--most mini-split units have SEER ratings above 17. For the cost, this is a significant benefit compared to gas and heat pump systems. You can achieve 17+ SEER ratings with traditional systems but the upfront cost increases dramatically
  2. Zone your Home--if you are not using the room you have your mini-split in, you can simply leave your unit off or at a temperature that is more cost-efficient. When you use a traditional ducted system, your WHOLE home is on or off at ONE temperature
  3. Lowest maintenance cost--at HVAC Home Pros, we have had very few issues with mini-splits. Unfortunately, many HVAC technicians in the United States are not trained to work on mini-splits in trade school programs, so it may be more difficult to find a licensed technician that has in-depth knowledge on proper mini-split AC installation and repair

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