Is A Ductless Heating/Cooling System Right for Your Home?
Is every nook and cranny of your home now active living space? Whether you’ve created a home office from an unused corner or moved family into a converted basement apartment, installing a ductless heating/cooling system might be the solution you never knew you needed.
Ductless systems can be used for air conditioning in the summer, heat in transition months and as supplemental heat through the winter. The heat pump technology moves air around your home, regulating temperatures and in some cases, even reducing your home energy bills with their efficiency.
HOW DO THEY WORK?
Ductless units have an outdoor condenser and an indoor air handler that is mounted to the wall. Also called a ductless heat pump, during the summer the unit takes the warm air from inside your home and deposits it outside to leave your home cool. In the winter, it is reversed so that instead of depositing the hot air outside, it pushes it inside to heat your home (hence the name). While they are typically not used as the single heat source for a home, they are a great way to offset your energy bill in late fall and early spring when the days are cooler. These systems are a great option for older homes, additions or other areas of the home without ductwork, and homes with non-ducted heating systems like hot water or radiators.
HOW EFFICIENT ARE THEY?
One benefit of ductless air conditioners is their flexibility in zoning. Because they operate independently from other cooling systems in your home, you can more effectively manage the temperature. Also, they are not subject to energy loss that typically occurs from unmaintained ductwork in a central AC system.
If you’re unfamiliar with this highly versatile technology, here are a few considerations:
HOME ADDITIONS/CONVERTED SPACES MIGHT OVERLOAD YOUR CURRENT HVAC SYSTEM
Adding a ductless unit to your HVAC portfolio will reduce strain on your current system. The unit is sized for the square footage it’s meant to cover inside your home without diverting air from other rooms.
INSTALLING DUCTWORK MIGHT BE TOO COSTLY OR IN SOME CASES NOT POSSIBLE IN YOUR HOME
If you live in a home without ductwork, it might be less expensive to add ductless units for cooling rather than a traditional air conditioning system. In fact, many older homes lack the space to install ductwork all together!
YOUR FAMILY BATTLES OVER THE THERMOSTAT AND THE BEST TEMPERATURE FOR YOUR HOME
Maybe you prefer a firm 65° year-round while your spouse is happiest at sauna-like temps? Either way, a ductless system creates independent zones by room/unit that will be more energy efficient than zoning in a traditional ducted system.