After years of suffering with an overheated, sticky house every summer, my husband and I decided to invest in central air conditioning. Because our home is well over a hundred years old, we don’t have conventional ductwork. We were reluctant to tear down walls and ceilings and get into the giant mess of installing ductwork. We consulted with a local HVAC professional who recommended high velocity air conditioning. This type of cooling system is designed to accommodate retrofit into older homes, and uses flexible, two-inch tubing which snakes easily through tight spaces. High velocity air conditioning is quite a bit more costly to install than conventional central cooling, but it has advantages. The system provides a more forceful and colder supply of air, allowing it to cool the space very quickly. Because of this, it also removes about thirty percent more moisture from the air than a traditional central cooling system. Because we feel cooler at a higher temperature, we can raise the thermostat a bit and save money on the electric bills. Our house feels perfectly cool at 75 degrees. We don’t need to have the high velocity system running constantly, and it’s virtually silent. Although the high velocity air conditioner requires numerous vents in each room, the vents are super small and are available in a wide range of styles. We’ve actually painted the vent covers to match the walls so they blend right in. My husband and I are so much happier in our home now that we have a whole-home cooling system. We no longer need to rely on window air conditioners and a bunch of noisy, ugly fans. It doesn’t matter how hot and humid the summer weather, we enjoy ideal comfort.