[MassHistPres] Heat Pumps/Mini Splits in Historic Houses

[Diane Gilbert]

Dear Anne, Thanks for pointing that out and including the working link.

For those who are interested in comparing notes about the pros and cons of
heat pumps/mini splits, I would love to hear your experiences and share
mine in more detail.

Also, in these times of climate change and as a shout-out to NPS, everyone
should review NPS Brief 24.

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

On Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 11:59 AM <annelusk at gmail.com> wrote:

> The link provided said it was “Forbidden” (because it is Halloween?), but
> I found a working link.
>
>
> https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-brief-24-heating-cooling.pdf
>
>
>
> Anne
>
>
>
> Anne Lusk, Ph.D.
>
> 18 Hart Street, Brookline, MA 02445
>
> Boston University Metropolitan College Lecturer – Urban Agriculture
>
> 617-879-4887 h
>
> 617-872-9201 c
>
> https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/5/4436
>
>
>
> *From:* MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> *On Behalf Of *Diane
> Gilbert via MassHistPres
> *Sent:* Tuesday, October 31, 2023 9:59 AM
> *To:* MassHistPres MA <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
> *Subject:* [MassHistPres] Heat Pumps/Mini Splits in Historic Houses
>
>
>
> 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
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
Best wishes,
Diane

Diane M. Gilbert
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.cs.umb.edu/pipermail/masshistpres/attachments/20231031/b092ab83/attachment.html>