Multigenerational households are becoming more popular in the U.S. As of 2014, nearly 1 in 5 households had more than one generation living under one roof, the highest percentage since the 1950s, according to Pew Research Center.
The multigenerational household looks different for each family. Sometimes a grandparent lives with an adult child and young grandchildren; other times an adult moves back in with mom and dad. But in many cases, inhabitants of a multigenerational home say the arrangement is beneficial: It’s cost-efficient and provides support where solo-living may not.
For example, when an aging grandmother moves in with her child and grandchildren, she will have fewer household chores, the grandkids will get more quality time with their grandma and the parents have a live-in babysitter. It’s a win-win-win situation.
Making Room for a New Generation
For all the benefits that multigenerational housing provides, there’s still the question of space. A common home renovation among families welcoming another generation to their home is the mother-in-law suite, a kind of apartment connected to the home. It’s close enough for everyone to get together, but is separate enough to allow that person to have his or her own private space.
Multigenerational living arrangements are becoming more popular.Heating and cooling the mother-in-law suite, or any other home addition, can sometimes be tricky. Luckily, a ductless mini-split system can provide a low-cost and highly effective means to keeping the addition comfortable.
Heating and Cooling Solutions in One System
Your home addition needs to be comfortable all year round, and that means providing cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. A ductless mini-split, sometimes called a heat pump, offers the best of both worlds.
These systems consist of at least two units: outdoor and indoor. If you need to provide climate control to multiple rooms in your home, such as a garage and the mother-in-law suite, most options allow you to branch into two, three or more rooms without adding additional outdoor units. Heat pump installation is simple and quick for a professional to complete.
One feature many homeowners like about their ductless mini-split systems is the ability to control different zones. The “zones” simply refers to the various rooms where the indoor units are installed. Each unit can be individually adjusted without affecting the rest of the system. Because grandma might like her apartment just a little bit warmer than the rest of the house, this feature is particularly nice for multigenerational homes.
When building an addition to a home, many budget-conscious homeowners calculate the extra cost of heating the new room. Mini-split systems are designed to run just enough to meet the temperature demands of the rooms they are in, unlike other heating and cooling systems that run at full capacity no matter what. This can lead to energy cost savings.
If you think a ductless mini-split system may be the right option for your home, reach out to SMO Energy. We can help outline the benefits as they relate to your situation.