[MassHistPres] Heat Pumps/Mini Splits in Historic Houses

[Diane Gilbert]

The latest and greatest in heating and air conditioning, Heat Pumps/Mini
Splits, may not be suitable for certain historic houses. I learned this the
hard way in trying to control the climate in our 1762 Akin House. The
exterior compressor may be unsightly and the unit within the interior may
detract from the historicity of an important resource. But there's more to
this situation than cultural aesthetics.

Six years ago, we installed one unit in our gathering room/kitchen hearth
location.  I didn't find that it detracted from the house's historic
features. The compressor was located on the north side of the house which
again didn't interfere to a significant degree from the house's cape style
features.  We also have a lift at the east rear entrance to fulfill our ADA
compliance requirements. It's very obvious when viewing our house which
elements are original, which are new timbers, and which are modern
amenities. I call that "practical preservation." When a modern enhancement
doesn't function, it's a wakeup call to seek other alternatives.

It turns out that because the Akin House has no insulation, no storm
windows, and plenty of moisture, the mini-split malfunctioned
intermittently, and finally just gave out. The unit was working too hard to
achieve a desired temperature and dry atmosphere. Also, MHC cautioned that
we shouldn't use heat pumps/mini-splits in that house, in part, because it
is contrary to historically faithful preservation goals.

When our Georgian cape style house was constructed in 1762, the builders
adhered to commonsense principles.



“Eighteenth century and later vernacular architecture depended on the
siting of the building, deciduous trees, cross-ventilation, and the
placement of windows and chimneys to maximize winter heating and natural
summer cooling.” ––* NPS Preservation Brief 24*

In our case, historic house stewardship requires that we approach
challenges with at minimum one foot in the 18th century.

I urge everyone to consult the NPS Historic Preservation Brief 24, Heating,
Ventilating, and Cooling Historic Buildings.
https://home1.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/24-heat-vent-cool.htm

Diane Gilbert
Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Inc.
Dartmouth, MA
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