As I mentioned in a previous post, the HVAC in the condo needed replaced. We ended up with a brand new, energy efficient, Rheem heating and air system that is wonderful and does a great job. Total cost 3K. Follow up from a previous post: We did not get the UV light or the Nest thermostat.
Our HVAC system is housed in a hall closet that also contains the return. Interior air has to pass through vented bi-fold doors to recirculate through the system. It looks like this (without the doors).
Our installer said that the UV light doesn't add much value to the system or quality of the air. More importantly, because of our system and return structure, the UV light would always be somewhat visible. I did not want a constant glow from the closet, so we passed on the light.
Our installer does have a Nest thermostat on his system at home. He gave it great reviews and said that it makes his system much more efficient and lowered his overall electric bill. After all the details, this great little gadget did not seem like it would work for us. The Nest thermostat actually learns patterns of how you live and adjusts your temperature accordingly. There is always someone in our house. This would only confuse the Nest, as it would never know if we were actually coming or going. The installer did say that the system will not pick up pets. So, if you are at work all day and your pet is there roaming around, the Nest still thinks you are gone.
So, we ended up with a totally new, energy efficient HVAC, but with a heavy trade off. The 3K that we ended up spending was allocated for the kitchen cabinets! Yep, we've been in our condo now for two months with no cabinets.
So, the renovation is still going. The end seems nowhere in sight, but I will keep you posted as we do some cool projects. :-)
