As ductless mini-split systems are gaining in popularity, an increasing number of homeowners are considering them for their heating and cooling needs. However, before you invest your hard-earned money in any HVAC system, you need to understand what it can do for you and your family. We’re going to share with you the many benefits gained by investing in a ductless mini-split system for your household.
Dual Usage
One of the most well-known benefits of a ductless mini-split system is that it can heat and cool your home. Instead of investing in a traditional furnace and centralized air conditioning system, you can spend your money on one system that can handle all of your needs. Having just one system can simplify things like your warranty paperwork.
Energy Efficiency Operation
Ductless mini-split systems are among the most energy-efficient cooling systems on the market today. The most impactful is that there’s no energy loss with this type of system. With traditional ducted air conditioning systems, the cold air produced had to be transported through the ducting to each of your rooms.
Over time, your ducting can develop gaps and leaks that let some of that precious cold air escape into your wall and floor cavities. The Department of Energy (DOE) has even estimated that homeowners with ducted systems can lose up to 30% of their treated air through ducting leaks.
When it comes to the winter months, ductless systems can be efficient up to the point of freezing temperatures. This makes them an ideal choice for regions of the country that don’t regularly experience below-freezing temperatures. Your heat pump will simply transport heat from the outdoors into your home. It takes a lot less energy to transport heat from one location to another than it does to create heat from the process of combustion.
No Ductwork Required
As its name implies, ductless mini-split systems don’t rely on traditional ductwork to circulate air throughout your home. Rather, each system will be comprised of multiple mini-split units that are placed in the main rooms of a home, like the bedroom and living room. Each unit will pull in air, cool it, and force it back into the room without any need for ducting.
This makes a ductless mini-split system perfect for upgrading an existing home that doesn’t have ducting. You won’t have to bear the large expense of ripping out walls and floors to have metal ductwork installed. Ductless systems are also a great idea for home additions where you’re unable to add to your existing ductwork.
Tax Incentives
The federal and state governments are always creating programs that give tax incentives to homeowners who invest in more energy-efficient products. One product that falls into this category is the ductless mini-split system. It’s best to speak with a local HVAC provider in your area to learn about federal, state, and local tax incentives and rebates that you can take advantage of by investing in a new ductless mini-split system for your home.
Zone Control Capabilities
With a traditional centralized air conditioning system, you have one thermostat that controls the temperature throughout your entire home. With a ductless mini-split system, each unit will have separate controls. This means you can set the unit in your bedroom to be colder than in your living room. You can even set units in less trafficked rooms to be higher than in rooms you spend a lot of time in. With zone controls, you can not only be more comfortable in your home, but you can enjoy more energy savings.
Multiple Installation Options
Ductless mini-split designs have changed greatly over the years. Traditionally, they were only offered with wall-mounted units. Nowadays, you can opt for floor-mounted or even ceiling-mounted units. The unit you choose depends on your budget, preferences, and the aesthetic needs of your rooms. For example, a ceiling-mounted unit is great for discrete installation. However, a wall-mounted unit is likely going to be the most cost-effective of the three installation options.
No Toxic Exhaust Fumes
Unless you’re running an electric furnace to create heat during the colder winter months, you’re likely relying on propane, natural gas, or heating oil. All three of these fuels use the process of combustion to create heat for your home. This combustion process has byproduct exhaust fumes that can be toxic when not properly vented to the outdoors.
While your heating system should vent these exhaust fumes outside, problems can develop where the fumes get stuck indoors. There’s always the worry of excess carbon monoxide when you’re running these types of heating systems. Fortunately, with a ductless mini-split system, there’s no combustion process. That translates to no harmful fumes to worry about.
Enhanced Indoor Air Quality
With a traditional ducted heating or cooling system, airborne particles, such as dust and pet dander, can be circulated in your air. In fact, these airborne particles commonly build up inside your ducting and create poor indoor air quality. With a ductless mini-split system, you can enjoy better indoor air quality. This is because ductless units simply pull air in, filter it, and push it right back out. There’s nowhere else for unwanted airborne toxins to get stuck other than your system’s air filter.
Quick Installation
Ductless systems are undeniably much easier to install than ducted systems. With ducted systems, ductwork has to run throughout the floor and wall cavities to properly and efficiently deliver treated air throughout all the rooms of your home. A ductless mini-split system is much less invasive.
Your installer will simply mount your mini-split units inside and run conduit through a small 3-inch hole they drill through your exterior walls. This conduit runs to the outside condenser unit, which is typically a breeze to install due to its outside location. With such a quick installation process, you can enjoy paying fewer labor expenses for your new system installation and won’t have to wait as long for the process to be completed.
Whisper Quiet Operation
Living in a home with centralized heating and cooling means constantly listening to the whooshing sound of air traveling through your ducting. Since your ducting is connected directly to your indoor air handler, it echoes all the noises that your heating and cooling system makes while running. With a ductless mini-split system, you can enjoy whisper-quiet operation for your indoor units. The large majority of noise from a ductless mini-split system comes from the outdoor condenser unit. Since it’s positioned outside, you’re not likely to hear it running at all.
Reliable Ductless Mini-Split Service
Kulacz & Sons Heating & Cooling, Inc. provides reliable ductless mini-split service for the whole Peotone, IL area. We can also help with all your heating and cooling maintenance, installation and repair work as well as any ductwork and commercial needs. Simply give us a buzz today to schedule your next service appointment with one of our highly skilled HVAC technicians.
