Air conditioning installation is no small matter, and one of the biggest considerations should be saving money — and energy. Air conditioners can use a lot of power and natural resources. Depending on the insulation in a home, the region, the size of the house and your cooling preferences, it’s easy to spend a pretty penny just to stay cool and comfortable in the summer. Ductless air conditioning is a great way to cool a room or a home that doesn’t feature classic HVAC ductwork. Also known as a “mini split” for its size and lack of window units, ductless A/C is just what it sounds like: An A/C system that is split into two sections.
You’ll have an outdoor compressor, which is traditionally the noisy part of an air conditioner. Of course, since it’s outside you won’t have to deal with the hum and disturbance that old-school window units sometimes feature. The other part includes indoor evaporators, also known as air handlers. A very small hole is made in the home’s exterior wall in order to install this ductless, mini-split system. This makes for a quick, simple setup. Ductless A/C systems are energy efficient while keeping even large homes cool. However, for many homeowners, the biggest perk of all is a reasonable utility bill.
Feeling Energized?
Saving energy is a big bonus for eco-minded homeowners. However, you might notice that both ducted and ductless systems look similar in terms of energy efficiency when shopping around. Just because it looks that way on paper doesn’t make it true. Central air systems waste quite a bit of energy. In fact, they can lose up to 30 percent of their cool air, thanks to extensive ductwork that requires the air to travel in the ducts for such long distances. Cool air might leak if the system isn’t flawlessly sealed and maintained. The conduction might not have perfect insulation, particularly if the ductwork travels via unconditioned areas of the home like the attic. These two sources of energy waste make ducted systems far less efficient — or at least require homeowners to really stay on top of maintenance.
Plus, a ductless A/C system can cool by zones while central A/C can’t. You may have a number of air handlers, and each one is controlled individually via a thermostat. This makes it simple to customize the temperature in every room. You can keep your bedroom a mildly cool 68 degrees, while your hot-blooded kid down the hall can dip down to 62 degrees in his or her room. However, the real perk is that you only need to cool the rooms being used. Why pay to cool the guest room that’s only used when the in-laws stay over?
Ducted or not, there’s a solution for every home. Contact Sandy Heating & Air Conditioning, and work with the experts in air conditioning installation to find the best cooling solution for you.