A Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioner Will Change the Way You Stay Cool
With each year setting new records for temperature extremes and energy costs steadily rising, enduring the year’s hottest days has become more challenging than ever before. More and more, homeowners are turning to alternative methods of keeping themselves cool when the mercury starts to rise. However, many options aren’t powerful enough to achieve the necessary cooling or are too expensive to be practical.
This is why the ductless mini-split air conditioner is such a game changer. Boasting a level of energy efficiency far beyond what traditional air conditioners are capable of, this humble new technology is revolutionizing the way we stay cool. Below, we’ll explain exactly what changes this incredible method of home cooling has brought to homes across the world:
Traditional Air Conditioning Is a Whole House Affair
Most homes still use traditional air conditioning methods, which means a massive (and often loud) outdoor condenser cools the air. This condenser, which requires a great deal of electricity to operate, is then connected to a system of ducts running throughout the home, hidden away behind walls and inside ceilings, and connected to vents leading into every room in the home. Forced air created by a blower fan then circulates the air throughout your home.
What this means, in practical terms, is that traditional air conditioning is a massive undertaking every time it’s used. This is because, even if it’s just you alone in your bedroom, you have to cool down the entire house to stay cool. For many people, this means that they will sit in discomfort to avoid the cost of cooling an entire home down to have a good night’s sleep.
Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioners Operate Room to Room
Here’s the first change a ductless mini-split air conditioner will bring to how you stay cool: it’s designed to operate in single rooms or “zones” of the home, as opposed to the entire house. Multiple ductless air conditioners can be installed throughout the home so that you can cool every zone at once or one zone at a time, depending upon your needs.
Think about it. If there’s a room in your home that no one is currently occupying, you wouldn’t leave the lights and television on in that room. So, why would you pay to have it air-conditioned?
Traditional Air Conditioning Uses a Great Deal of Power
An air conditioner uses the same technology to cool a house down as a refrigerator uses to keep food cool, except on a much larger scale. This means that it uses electricity to power a system of coolant coils. When warm air passes across the coils, the coolant in them effectively absorbs the heat energy in the air. This causes the air to cool down dramatically, drawing moisture out of it (humidity often makes it feel hotter than it is). The cooled air can then be distributed throughout the home.
Part of the reason traditional A/C units use as much electricity as they do is the general inefficiency of this system. That is to say, any leak or weak point in the system will cause the air conditioner to have to work extra hard to keep the home at a comfortable temperature, meaning that it will have to use more electricity to do so.
These weak points are often present in the ducts themselves, which can easily develop leaks. They will also build up dirt, dust, and debris over time, making it significantly harder for the cooled air to get where it needs to go. In turn, this drives your energy bill up even further.
Benefits of Going Ductless
Ductless air conditioners can bypass all the inefficiencies in ductwork by simply avoiding it entirely. While ductless mini-split air conditioners use the same principle to operate as traditional air conditioners, they do not require a giant fan to circulate the air throughout the home, nor do they require a massive outdoor condenser. Instead, a mini-split utilizes a smaller outdoor unit connected to a smaller indoor unit (the “mini-split” part of the name) and vents the cooled air directly into the HVAC zone where the system has been installed, vastly simplifying the process.
The tendency for ducts to leak out air is not the only reason to avoid using them in your home. Since they are so prone to accumulating dust, pollen, and dirt, they also tend to spread that dust, pollen, and dirt throughout the home when the air conditioner fan is turned on. This leads to increased allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems. A ductless mini-split air conditioner avoids spreading these irritants, resulting in cleaner air and a healthier overall home.
Ask Your HVAC Pro for More Information
Ductless mini-split air conditioners have many more benefits than we’ve listed here (did you know they can also heat your home?). If you’re interested in having one installed, schedule a consultation with the HVAC professionals at Entek. With over 75 years in the HVAC business, Entek is a company that’s always been at the cutting edge of heating and cooling technology. Each of our contractors is highly experienced and certified in installing a wide array of HVAC elements, including ductless air conditioners, or as they’re also known, heat pumps.
Our HVAC professionals from Entek can perform a consultation of your home—or even a consultation with you on a home you are thinking of building—and offer you a quote on ductless mini-split air conditioning installation. We’ll advise you on just how many HVAC zones your home has and where best to install the A/C units. Of course, we will also be able to offer routine maintenance and emergency repairs on these or any other HVAC elements in your home.
