Reduce HVAC footprint?

[Harman N.]

Hi all,

I want to add a unit in the garage of my duplex. My question is, how can I reduce the space the utilities take up, in particular the HVAC? The water heaters I can eliminate via tankless systems, but not sure what if anything can be done about the HVAC units. 

[Ben S.]

You mean you want to be able to heat/cool the garage? Or put the furnace for the whole duplex in the garage? If just for the garage, look up mini-split units. The inside half mounts on the wall, and the rest sits outside. Efficient, cheap, and perfect for a single room. If for the whole duplex, you could get something that will hang from the ceiling in the garage if you have a high enough ceiling or a corner were it won't take away as much usable floor space.