The Ductless Mini-Split: A Neat Little System For Your Addition Or New Construction

In homes with systems other than forced-air heating, such as radiant panels, space heaters, and hydronic systems, ductless mini-split heat pumps are a great option for your home addition or new construction project. Like a standard heat pump, mini-splits have both an outdoor and indoor unit linked by a conduit.

If you are considering this system for your home, you should fully understand its benefits and drawbacks:

Benefits

• Mini-splits are small and flexible, making them perfect for varying design options. The indoor air handler can simply stand on the floor, be mounted to a drop ceiling, hung on the wall, or suspended from a regular ceiling. Their high-tech jackets make them look sleek and appealing.
• Zoning individual rooms is easy with ductless mini-splits. Many units have up to four air handling units, each with their own thermostat, so you can air condition or heat a room only when it’s occupied. This saves money and energy while making each room as comfortable as possible.
• These units are easier to install and often come with variable lengths of connecting conduits. This enables you to cool rooms in the front of your house while placing the outdoor compressor in a more hidden place at the rear of the building.
• Ductwork is often associated with energy loss, so a ductless system allows you to avoid this.

Drawbacks

• The higher cost of ductless mini-splits is the primary disadvantage.  They cost approximately 30 percent more than central air conditioning systems and about twice as much as window units with equal cooling capacity.
• Sizing is critical for ductless systems. An oversized unit, or an air handler placed in the wrong location, can result in short cycles that waste energy and result in lower comfort levels.
• While less intrusive than a window air conditioner, many people don’t like the look of the indoor air handler.
• Qualified installers may be difficult to find.

Fortunately, this final drawback isn’t a problem when you work with Rinaldi’s Air Conditioning in the Orlando area. Contact us todayto discuss the possibility of installing a ductless mini-split system in your home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ductless mini-splits and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Rinaldi’s services Orlando, Florida and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!