When it comes to cooling your home efficiently and effectively, a common question for a home purchaser or seller to ask is, whether central or ductless air conditioning is more appropriate. Many homeowners today are contemplating this question because in the past the natural option was to choose central air conditioning. Despite the fact that central air conditioning is extremely popular, more people in recent years are asking for ductless air conditioning, this is not just because it being installed in homes without any existing duct work.
More than ever, people are interested in energy costs and energy efficiency and that’s one way in which ductless air systems come out on top. Whether you opt for ductless or central air, this is a major investment and well doing your research prior to arriving at a decision. Considering the long-term cost as well as the initial cost, is something anyone should carefully evaluate, you should also think about the indoor comfort needs of your family. You might think that central air conditioning is the best way to go simply because it is the most popular, but it’s well worth evaluating what your family actually needs and to investigate ductless air conditioning without dismissing it outright.
Basics of How These Systems Work
Before weighing the cons and pros of each one, you should understand what each system entails. A central air conditioning system, the most popular throughout American homes has two different units. The outdoor unit has a condenser and a compressor and the indoor unit is typically attached to the furnace, and the furnace then blows cool air through ducts that stretch throughout the home. A ductless air conditioning system is different because it will have outdoor and indoor components, however, they aren’t built into a forced air furnace.
Usually the outdoor unit for a ductless system is mounted on to the exterior walls, but they do not have to be. Depending on the size of your home and your cooling needs, more than one unit could be needed.
Some of the most important things to consider when evaluating the benefits of ductless systems over central air conditioners include: look, energy loss, zoned comfort, heating and cooling needs, flexibility, installation and design. Indoor air handlers can be installed in many different places with ductless AC, you can also have them such that cooled or heated air is limited to specific areas of the home, which means better and more personalized comfort and lower energy bills. To learn more about ductless AC you can visit a website like ComfortUp to get a better ideas of how these systems work and how much they will cost.
Central air conditioners can only be used to achieve cool air throughout the home, ductless systems can also heat homes and cool them because they include reversible pumps that move warm air in either direction. What a major drawback of a traditional standard central air conditioning system is the fact that the cooled air must move through ducts to achieve cooling the entire house, it can also be lost in unconditioned part of the home and can have energy losses of up to 30%.
Furthermore, ductless air conditioning is also much easier to install, ductless air conditioning can even be installed by you since the majority of the leg work is done prior to installation, technicians simply have to determine the right places to mount an indoor air handler and to perform any load calculations to ensure that the equipment that has been selected has the right capacity.
Another major reason that people choose to work with ductless air conditioning is that a multi-split ductless system allows you to set different temperatures throughout different rooms. If you don’t intend to use a room on a particular day, you can stop having cooled or heated air directed there, and this can be a major saving as far as your energy.
You’d be shocked at how well the ductless system works after an installation process- and you have more control over what’s cooled and what isn’t.
How Do The Indoor Units Work?
Having indoor units installed to deliver heated and cooled air to specific rooms, is one of the most common reasons that people hesitate about ductless air conditioning because this is a design issue. High quality ductless systems have low profile indoor units that will do little to detract from your interior décor style. The initial cost of having a ductless system installed may be higher than the cost of having central air installed, however it is also much easier and because it doesn’t require ductwork, can be better long term investment for someone making this decision for the first time.
Since a ductless system is much more efficient than central AC, you will spend a lot less over time as it relates to keeping your home comfortable and you should be able to recover your investment with ease. When thinking about the future as well, choosing a ductless air conditioning system may be more appropriate if you ultimately intend to sell your home and want to make it extremely energy efficient in terms of marketing for the home buyers.
More people than ever are concerned about carbon footprints and energy efficiency, and having a ductless air conditioning system installed can increase the value of your home and make it a more appealing decision for someone who is thinking about keeping their own energy costs down should they choose to purchase your property. Investigating ductless air conditioning verses central AC, is an exciting prospect so that you can choose something most aligned with your needs.
When you look for a ductless system, make sure you find a reputable supplier. Do your research in advance to ensure that you have chosen a company that knows how to craft ductless A/C systems that last. Installation is also important, but most people find that installation of a ductless system is easier to manage overall. Knowing what you’re looking for can help you narrow down your search for the right system for your home and find a solution that keeps you happy and cool for years to come.