A reliable cooling system in your Troutdale, OR home is essential for keeping you and your family comfortable and safe when summertime temperatures soar. Unfortunately, not every home in Oregon has the necessary ductwork for supporting central air conditioning. There are also many homes with HVAC ductwork that doesn’t reach or service every room. If either of these issues sounds familiar, here are six ways a ductless mini-split can help.
1. Get Whole-House Cooling Without Having to Add Ducting
Adding HVAC ductwork to an older home that lacks it can be costly and time-consuming. Installing ducting post-construction also requires homeowners to sacrifice valuable indoor space. Post-construction ductwork is rarely hidden behind drywall and has an ongoing impact on interior aesthetics. These additions can make the interior of buildings look and feel much smaller.
With ductless mini-splits, no ducting is needed. Just as their name implies, ductless mini-splits come with their own air distribution systems. Installed at the building exterior, a ductless mini-split has a combined compressor and condenser unit connected to one or more indoor air handlers. Only a single, three-inch hole must be drilled in the wall of each room that will have zoned service. Refrigerant tubing and electrical wires are passed through this hole as connections.
Unlike post-construction ductwork, the air handlers for mini-splits are small and inconspicuous. These units can be installed on the upper wall, ceiling, or in another discreet and out-of-the-way location. With fewer building modifications required and far fewer materials used for ductless AC installation, you may even have cash left over to invest in other home improvements.
2. Zoned Ductless ACs Let Everyone in the Home Set Their Preferred Temperatures
Ductless mini-splits provide residents with the power of multi-zone climate control. Not only will each zone or room in your home get its own air handler, but it will also have its own thermostat. Family members who are constantly hot can set their thermostats to keep their spaces cool. People who always feel chilly can raise their thermostat settings or turn off their air handlers.
This level of adaptability also means that you don’t have to waste money to cool down areas of the building that no one is actively using. This can lead to considerable energy savings over time.
3. Get Reliable Cooling for Remote Areas of Your Home
You might already have functional HVAC ductwork and a working central air conditioner. However, if you have a finished basement, an attic bedroom, or a workshop or garage that isn’t connected to your central AC or doesn’t get adequate cooling, you can use a ductless mini-split to keep this space habitable.
This is great news if you have guests coming in the summer months or need more space for young kids to keep themselves entertained during their summer vacation. Best of all, like central air conditioners, ductless mini-splits provide cooling, humidity regulation, and air filtration. They’re great for ventilating garages for parking and hobbies and keeping the indoor air from feeling muggy, clammy, and all-around oppressive.
4. Get Rid of Your Inefficient Window AC
If you live in a home that lacks ducting, you’ve probably been getting by with an inefficient window air conditioner. Even though they use considerable amounts of energy, these units can only cool down one room at a time. Worse, they can damage the window frame and the area around the window. They’re also noisy during operation.
Among the many drawbacks of window air conditioners, there’s also the fact that these units leave homes vulnerable to security breaches. After all, you have to keep your window propped open to accommodate one of these heavy units. Not only does this create a viable point of ingress for burglars and other ill-intentioned parties, but it can also allow insects and small animals to enter the property. Upgrading to a ductless mini-split will give you efficient, whole-house cooling, increased safety, and far greater peace of mind.
5. Drop Your Energy Bill
Ductless mini-splits are available as air conditioners or heat pumps for heating and cooling. By the very nature of their designs, ductless air conditioners are more efficient than many central AC systems. The absence of HVAC air ducts prevents the loss of cooled air during distribution.
There’s also no need to cool down rooms that aren’t occupied due to zoning. Additionally, if you opt for a ductless mini-split that uses a heat pump, you’ll have a cooling system that uses up to 60% less energy than standard home cooling equipment. This is because mini-split heat pumps don’t actually produce cold air. Instead, they use a highly efficient heat transfer process to move hot indoor air outside.
This system also works in reverse. Heat pumps can heat your home in the colder months. Instead of generating heat, a heat pump pulls heat from the outdoor air and transfers it inside. This can greatly reduce your energy use, and thus your utility bills, in the winter.
6. Enjoy Cleaner Indoor Air
HVAC air ducts can harbor a number of common allergens and contaminants. Although HVAC air filters capture a lot of dirt, dust, dander, and pollen that enters heating and cooling systems, many of these particulates are small enough to bypass air filters. Moreover, collected filter debris often breaks off of these components and enters HVAC ducting. With ductless mini-splits, cold air is distributed right at its source. It doesn’t have to travel through long channels of ducting while picking up particulates along the way. This means that the air being released into rooms is both cleaner and fresher-smelling.
Ductless mini-splits are excellent summertime upgrades for households with residents who suffer from seasonal allergies, asthma, or other respiratory ailments. This is especially true for individuals who experience heightened symptoms every time central cooling or heating systems are turned on.
7. Lower Your Carbon Footprint
Having a highly efficient summertime cooling plan won’t just lower your home energy bills. It will also give you a lower carbon footprint. This is great news for Oregon residents who are actively seeking ways to reduce their environmental impact. You can create a greener, cleaner home while enjoying a consistently comfortable living space throughout the year. Whether replacing an old window air conditioner, supplementing your central cooling plan, or replacing your central AC system entirely, ductless cooling can help you meet your efficiency goals.
8. Give Your Home’s Marketability a Boost
If you’re planning to put your home on the market this summer or intend to sell it within the next several years, a ductless mini-split could have a noticeable impact on its overall marketability. The same benefits of a ductless mini-split that appeal to you will also appeal to prospective buyers and tenants. These units instantly modernize older, outdated properties that lack central cooling. They make older homes easier to rent and allow property managers and sellers to raise their rental rates or sales prices.
At Apollo Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, we install, maintain, and repair ductless mini-splits. We also offer heating, cooling, plumbing, and drain cleaning services. We proudly serve residents of Troutdale, OR and the surrounding areas. If you’re ready to add ductless cooling to your home, give Apollo Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning a call.
