You might have heard the terms Mini Split or Ductless referencing a type of air conditioning system.
These units are an option you might consider when contemplating adding air conditioning to all or just parts of your home.
Mini Split systems do not require a duct system like most typical air conditioners do. That’s where the ductless description comes from. What they consist of is an outdoor unit (condenser) just like most air conditioners but inside is a small wall unit that can be installed almost anywhere in any room. The indoor and outdoor units are then hooked together with copper lines to complete the refrigerant process. Simple wiring is also installed to connect the two and you have a mini split system.
But mini splits aren’t just for air conditioning your home. Today most models can heat as well using todays modern heat pump technology. Even in our Ohio climate, these heat pump models are super efficient and deliver warm heated air even when the outside temperature dips to zero degrees.
You can also heat and cool more than just one area of your home because models are available that include up to 5 indoor units with just one outdoor unit. This will give you a true zoned system where you only heat and cool the areas you are using.
Again, efficiencies are super high with ratings up to 33 SEER. That’s almost three times as efficient as a typical 13 SEER air conditioner. All of the heating and cooling work is delivered directly to the room being conditioned because there is no ductwork loss. Units are also variable speed to match the heating/cooling load. Most of the time you can hardly hear them run.
Here are a few ways a mini split system might be the right choice for your home or business:
*You don’t currently have ductwork in your home such as a home heated by a boiler but would like to add air conditioning.
*You have added an addition to your home and running ductwork to it might prove impractical.
*If you have added a three season room and want to begin using it year round.
*You might want to air condition or heat only certain areas of your home instead of the whole house, say, just the second floor.
* You have a problem area that does not heat or cool well enough.
*Commercially, Mini Split systems work great in applications such as churches, server rooms, restaurants, kitchens and offices as well.
Installation is quick and clean and pricing is about equal to adding a complete “ducted” system.