One HVAC product that has gained a lot of traction over the recent decade is the ductless mini-split unit. Traditionally, these units were easily distinguishable as they consisted of an indoor air handler box that sat on the wall. However, nowadays, these mini-split units can take many different forms, depending on your personal preferences. If you don’t know a lot about these units, we’re going to explain what they are and the various benefits they can provide your home.
What Is a Ductless AC Unit?
Most people are familiar with the traditional central air conditioning system. This type of system relies on an indoor air handler unit that uses ductwork to deliver cold air to the various rooms throughout your home. As you have likely guessed, ductless air conditioning units do not utilize ductwork to deliver cold air.
Rather, the ductless mini-split system is comprised of various indoor air handler units known as mini-splits. Each mini-split unit is connected to an outdoor condenser unit via small conduit that runs through the exterior walls. Each specific air handler unit will deliver cold air directly to the room that it’s positioned in.
Zone Temperature Control
The beauty of the ductless AC system is that each individual mini-split unit has its own controls. This means that you could set the unit in your kitchen to be at 72 degrees Fahrenheit while your bedroom is set at 68 degrees. This zone temperature control helps to deal with unwanted hotspots throughout your home and increases your family’s overall comfort. Furthermore, you can optimize your energy usage by being more specific with the settings for each individual mini-split unit.
Can Be Dual-Purpose
While you can certainly get ductless units that only produce cold air, they do make dual-purpose units. These mini-split units provide both heating and cooling capabilities for all-year-round comfort. They do this thanks to a substance known as refrigerant. In the summertime, the mini-split unit will absorb heat from inside your home and transport it outside. In the wintertime, the direction of the refrigerant flow is reversed. This reversal allows the system to absorb heat from outside and bring it into your home.
Energy-Efficient Operation
When you use a ductless AC system, it allows you to be more efficient with your energy usage. During the summer months, you can turn off units in rooms that you’re not using to help lower your utility bills. If you opt for a dual-purpose system, where there is both heating and cooling, you can take advantage of the superior heating efficiency of these units.
When operated in a mild climate that doesn’t drop below freezing, the units are extremely energy-efficient in their heating capabilities. Since they only transport heat from outdoors to inside your home instead of creating heat through combustion, they don’t require as much energy. This is great news for you as a homeowner, as you can save a bundle on your wintertime heating bills.
Tax Rebates and Incentives
The federal government is on a mission to reward homeowners who invest in energy-efficient appliances. This is part of a big effort to convince more homeowners to be more environmentally friendly in their daily lives. The beauty of a ductless mini-split system is that it’s highly energy efficient. The federal government rewards homeowners who purchase these HVAC units with a nice tax incentive.
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, homeowners can typically receive up to 30% of the purchase price of their new ductless mini-split system up to a maximum amount of $2,000. You may even find that your local municipality or state government offers its own tax incentives on top of the federal one. These tax incentives can go a long way in helping to reduce the overall financial investment of your new unit.
Versatile Installation Options
While most people are familiar with the prominently sitting wall units that mini-split systems had just a couple of decades ago, there are more options today. It’s true that the wall units are going to be the cheapest mini-split option you can purchase. However, you can now opt for floor-mounted units or even ceiling-mounted units. The latter are going to be the most expensive as they’re the most discrete option available. Furthermore, these units come in a variety of different colors, so you can choose one that matches the aesthetics of your room.
Non-Invasive Installation
If you live in an older home that doesn’t have any existing ductwork, it can be extremely expensive to have it installed. It would involve removing existing flooring and wall materials to install the ductwork. Then, you would have to worry about refinishing these areas and repainting. Fortunately, with a ductless mini-split system, you don’t have to worry about an invasive installation process.
Each unit simply needs to be mounted on whatever surface you choose in the various rooms of your home. Then, a small three-inch hole needs to be drilled in the exterior walls to allow for conduit that houses the system’s refrigerant. This conduit runs the whole way from the indoor mini-split units to the outdoor condenser unit. The outdoor unit is fairly simple to install as it just needs to be put on a hard, level surface. Mini-split systems are an ideal choice for existing homes without ductwork due to their non-invasive and quick installation process.
Better Indoor Air Quality
Another benefit of the ductless AC system is that it allows for direct filtering right in the room that the unit is in. Each mini-split unit is supplied with a washable air filter. As air is pulled into the unit, it’s filtered, treated, and forced back into the room. As long as you keep up with washing the filter each month, these units can provide optimal air filtration. This holds an advantage over a traditional central air conditioning system where dust and debris can accumulate inside the ducting and reduce the overall indoor air quality in your home.
Whisper-Quiet Operation
No one likes having a loud air conditioning system that requires you to turn up the volume on your television. With the ductless mini-split models, you’ll get whisper-quiet operation. Most of the noise that is produced by this air conditioning system is located at the outdoor condenser unit.
Long-Term Cost Savings
One benefit of investing in a ductless mini-split system for your home is that it will allow you to cash in on long-term operational cost savings. When you run your mini-split unit, it’s going to be more energy-efficient than a traditional HVAC system. This higher efficiency will equate to lower energy bills over the lifetime of your new ductless air conditioning system.
Reliable Ductless AC Service
We Care Plumbing, Heating, and Air offers reliable ductless air conditioning services for the entire Temecula, CA region. We can also help with all your cooling, heating, plumbing, drain, and indoor air quality needs. Simply give our office a call today to schedule a service appointment with one of our experienced HVAC technicians.
