Heating & Cooling in a Shipping Container Tiny House!
There’s no question about how important the right heating and cooling are in a shipping container Tiny House! We’ve talked about insulation, directional placement and ventilation to help with energy efficiency and with your heating and cooling, but on their own they will not keep a shipping container cool on a hot Australian summer day nor will they keep it warm on the colder nights! Air conditioning and heating are a must in my opinion!
Let’s talk air conditioning first!
Choosing the right air conditioner for your Tiny House it’s important to consider a few things… the sqm size of your home, the climate where you live and the power capacity you have if you are off grid! Most air conditioning systems will have a guide to let you determine what sqm they will cover and they’ll also let you know the kW power usage. If you are in doubt consult with an air conditioning specialist and if you’re off grid solar chat with your solar installer about your system capacity to run the air conditioner. If you are off grid solar remember that the time of year that you’ll use your air conditioner for cooling will be summer which is when we have the most sun and therefore more power to use. I’ve not had any issues with my off grid solar power system running my split system air conditioner for cooling in summer!
Now let’s talk heating!
A shipping container Tiny House will get cold quickly at night even if it’s not been especially cold in the day! Keeping the night time temperature warm and comfortable, especially in the winter months, is something I usually get started before the sun goes down. Heating with the split system air conditioner is not as problem free as cooling, the heater uses more power than the cooler and at a time of year that an off grid solar system will provide you with less power. The heater is definitely fantastic at warming the Tiny House, that part is easy, but powering it for me is not always doable. Having said that the split system heating is something I will very rarely use. The fireplace I have installed is absolutely amazing and completely warms the Tiny House really quickly. And I am not using any of the power to run it! The only downside for me has been that the tiny fireplace I have installed does not have the capacity to burn throughout the night…I can load it up before bedtime and at best it’ll burn for several hours before going out! I’d probably consider going slightly larger if I was to do it again, of course weighing up the space it would take up in a small space.
Cooling and heating are super important in a shipping container conversion Tiny House! Don’t underestimate how cold and hot they can get despite the best insulation and other energy efficient planning you have done. Get advice if you are in doubt and stay cool and warm!
If you have any questions you’d like to ask me please send me an email via the “Contact Me” page on this blog, I’m happy to answer and help as best I can.
Thanks for reading!
Jen 🏡