3 Significant Benefits of a Ductless HVAC System

Central HVAC remains the most popular means of heating or cooling a home these days. While these are efficient systems, they aren’t always the best fit. Depending on the situation, a smaller, ductless system can be a better choice.

Four Seasons Air Specialists is your leading HVAC company in Mahtomedi MN. For over 40 years, we have been helping homeowners achieve superb home comfort by establishing the right systems that meet their family’s heating and cooling needs.

Understanding Ductless HVAC Systems

The name says a lot about these pieces of equipment. Ductless HVAC systems provide heating and cooling without the need for ducts. These systems are made up of two separate units: an outdoor compressor and an indoor evaporator. The unit positioned outside the house is responsible for the removal of absorbed heat outside while the indoor unit delivers conditioned air into the living space. These two parts are connected through a 3-inch hole in the wall.

Instead of heating or cooling the air with a central air handler and distributing it through the ducts, a ductless HVAC system sends air directly to multiple small air handlers installed throughout your home.

You may be wondering, “Why would I get a ductless system?” A common application is a primary bedroom or an additional room above a garage. Since this room is usually under-insulated and susceptible to outdoor temperatures, installing a duct can be quite complicated.

If you want the temperature in your master bedroom at a certain level, but want the rest of the house at a different setting, a ductless system will help you achieve that. It will let you set the thermostat at your desired temperature, but only in that specific room. What this does is that you’re not using too much electricity just to make your master bedroom more comfortable.

The same principle applies to an addition to your home. If you have areas that aren’t often used, such as a guest room or a library, chances are, you don’t need to heat or cool those rooms unnecessarily. A ductless HVAC system will let you turn on the heat or AC in those areas only when you need it.

What’s in it for Me?

Personalized Settings

One of the main benefits of having a ductless system installed in your home is HVAC zoning. This allows certain rooms to have personalized heating and cooling settings. Each room will have a temperature that suits the occupant’s preferences. This is made possible by having an individual thermostat for each room, making it more energy-efficient and highly economical. Compared to centralized HVAC systems, mini-splits consume 25 to 50 percent less energy.

Better Indoor Air Quality

You may or not be aware of how the quality of your indoor air affects your health and mood, but keeping clean indoor air is essential to your and your family’s well-being. If you tend to spend more time at home, you should all the more think about the quality of your indoor air. With a central HVAC system, indoor air quality can be compromised as the ductwork itself can be a main source of airborne contaminants, such as mold, algae, and fungi.

However, if you have a ductless system, you don’t have to worry about dirty, contaminated ducts. Moreover, ductless units are equipped with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that can trap as much as 99.97 percent of all airborne pollutants sized 0.3 microns or bigger. As a result, your home will be a much safer place to live in as it introduces clean indoor air for all occupants.

More Efficient Comfort

When looking for an HVAC system, it’s important to determine the SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) or AFUE (annual fuel efficiency utilization) rating of each unit. These ratings tell you how much energy your ductless system can save. Typically, a higher rating means the system is more energy-efficient. Ductless systems have a higher SEER rating than their ducted peers, with some units having a SEER rating as high as 30. Certain ductless air conditioners and heat pumps are ENERGY STAR® labeled which may qualify for federal and state tax incentives as well as local utility rebates.

Ask Four Seasons Air Specialists

To find out more about ductless systems, be sure to talk to one of our Grant heating and air conditioning professionals and receive helpful information.