I have a 12x18 shed that I've recently finished to use as a home office (insulation, drywall and paint, sheet vinyl floor) and plan to leave a laptop, monitor, and TV out there. I live in an area of the US with four seasons (highs in the 90s in the summer, nighttime lows in the 20s-30s during the winter).
Do I need to heat/cool the shed 24/7 to protect the electronics that will be in there?
If so, what would be the most cost-efficient way to do this. I've thought about just having a space heater and window-venting AC but not sure I can leave these on 24/7. Is mini-split my best/only option? Or would it be enough if I could find one of those freestanding heat/AC units if it operates on a thermostat and will cut off automatically in the winter when room temperature reaches the target temp?
EDIT
FWIW I know that mini splits are overkill power-wise for my needs. Articles like these are what made me concerned about running something overnight during the winter: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-not-burn-your-house-down-with-a-space-heater/
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jimjamjahaa t1_j64gwv9 wrote
electronics don't mind the cold. they don't love heat but they have over-temp protection for the heat. what they really don't like is wet and damp so that would be my number one concern.
free standing AC is a bit of a debatable issue... a 2-duct system that both draws air in from and exhausts air out to the outside is alright
1 duct for exhaust only will cause a negative pressure in the room drawing air in from outside which is... not efficient.. but technically it'll cool the room.
0 ducts is just nonsense imo because the thing has a hot side and a cold side and the hot side beats the cold side :D