Unless your garage is well-insulated top to bottom, you may want to consider climate control for those long, hot summer months. It’s especially important if you use your garage for anything more than parking your car. Anyone who spends much time at all in the garage, especially after mid-morning, knows how hot a garage can be. Cooling it off also keeps your home cooler, as well. The need for heating in the garage is far lower than the need for cooling since this region has only a handful of chilly days.
Types of Cooling
The kind of air conditioning you can use in the garage include evaporative coolers, ductless mini split systems, portable air conditioners or a wall or window unit. Each has specific advantages.
- Ductless mini splits are energy efficient ways to cool garages. They’re similar to central air conditioners but don’t use ductwork. If you opt for a heat pump, you’ll be able to use it year-round for climate control, since it also provides energy efficient heat. Even though a ductless heat pump system costs more initially, it’s far more efficient and less expensive in the long run than using space heaters for winter comfort.
- Portable A/C units. Portable air conditioners can be rolled around to the areas where you’ll be working. They aren’t as energy efficient or convenient as mini split systems. These systems also need to be vented to the outdoors to dispel the hot air the air from the A/C unit.
- Wall and window units. Check with your HOA to see if you can put one of these units in the garage wall. They may not allow it.
Tapping into your central cooling system isn’t included in this list of possibilities because of code and safety restrictions. Running ductwork from your main system to the garage could reduce the air quality throughout your home. There’s a possibility that dangerous fumes from the garage could be pulled through the ducts and distributed into your home.
The pros at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company can help you reach a sound decision regarding climate control for the garage. We provide HVAC services for the greater Yuma area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 928-723-3183.
