The transition from living in a detached house to now being in a small apartment has been wide reaching. I’m happy to no longer have a lawn to mow and maintain, but the lack of privacy, constant barragement of noises from every direction, and the dwindling space are all aspects of this experience that I have grown to hate. Fortunately, my utilities are cheaper, and I even get part of my water bill reduced and obviously spend less on electricity in heating and cooling with such a tinier space. However, this comes with the cost of having much fewer options for how I want heating and cooling in my new home. Originally, there was no central system installed because the builder didn’t account for ventilation systems when designing and constructing the units. I struggled with an array of various machines for the first year, starting with a cheap window air conditioner and eventually graduating to a large portable device. But no matter what air conditioner I put in my apartment, I couldn’t get consistent temperatures throughout the unit nor did I enjoy the massive noise output of the portable unit, which sounded like a huge motor getting gassed when it ran each time. Eventually, I found an HVAC supplier that was willing to install a system with exposed ductwork that hangs just below the ceiling. It comes pre-insulated and can be found in different colors and styles to accent the look of your home. This allowed me to have the performance and control of a house sized HVAC system in my small two bedroom apartment at a cost slightly lower than that of the larger system.