[GarySFBCN]

Ok, another reforma question. But first let me state that I am very ignorant about AC – we do not need them in San Francisco.

Here is the issue: The architect wants to install central AC, and to have nice metal ‘registers’ in the ceiling for each room.

I think it is a waste to cool the entire flat if we are only using one room at a time. Also, the west-facing part of the flat gets warmer with the sun all day, and probably needs more AC than the east-facing part, so having one thermostat will mean that the east part of the flat will be freezing cold when the west part is comfortable.

I’m thinking of this as a solution: The west wing, an “open” living space, which includes the salon, comedor, kitchen, hall and recibidor (for a total of about 40m2) to get one, more powerful AC unit with registers in the ceiling, And then the east wing (two bedrooms) have their own smaller units, without the nice registers – instead having those wall-mounted vents (at the ceiling) that are controlled by remote control units. Also, this would leave the bathrooms, also in the east wing, without AC.

I should add that I’m really not that fond of AC but recognize that sometimes it is really needed, especially on those very humid days or for my houseguests.

As we are a sobreatico, all of the equipment can go onto the roof.

So forum dwellers, here are my questions:

Do you think the architect’s plan is better than my idea?

Are there alternatives?

Is it a good idea or bad idea to not provide AC in the bathrooms (both have windows)?

Do either of these plans have an impact upon the value of the flat, or long-term energy costs?

Thanks in advance for your input. Gary

[Chopera]

I’m no expert but we’ve never had a/c in bathrooms or kitchens and it has never bothered us. Also I suspect that if you are installing well insulated windows the temperature of the flat will be more uniform – it’ll take longer to warm up and cool down so the flat might not heat up so unevenly. Personally I would install the registers on both sides of the flat and avoid stand-alone units – they look more dated and there’ll be more things to break down. Also they might be a bit noisier, especially for bedrooms. I’d have thought you could get registers that can be closed with a simple slider? So you can “turn off” the a/c to certain rooms. Some centralised a/c units also allow you to blast warm air into the rooms, which might be useful in winter.

Also you can get remote controls with the thermostat inside, so it regulates the temperature according to the room you are in.

I repeat I’m no expert, so I may be talking rubbish. I think Angie might know a bit about this though.

[Fuengi (Andrew)]

Hi Gary,

personally I cannot stand air conditioning units. If I wanted to live in a fridge I would move to the north of norway.
Instead of AC I would look at ceiling fans, not going to get rid of the mugginess, but when there is a breeze its not so bad. I would also look into roof insulation. To put it blunty, its probably shit (no offense!). Huge heat absorber in the summer, and you will lose all your heat in the winter.

[Author]

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