Ductless mini-split systems hit the scene in 1959. Although they spent decades in the shadows of high-performing, central HVAC systems, they’re gaining attention due to their high levels of flexibility and efficiency. Whether you need a new, whole-house heating solution or supplementary heat for remote, certain areas of your home, using a ductless mini-split in winter can provide a wealth of benefits.
What Is a Ductless Mini-Split System?
Ductless mini-splits are zoned heating and cooling systems that don’t require ductwork. Like a central heat pump or air conditioner, a ductless mini-split has an outdoor condenser/compressor unit that’s attached to an indoor air handler. However, ductless mini-split systems can have up to eight separate air handlers. Each air handler is governed by its own thermostat, and people in individual zones or rooms can independently the temperatures in their immediate areas.
How Is a Ductless Mini-Split Installed?
If you own an older property that was built without HVAC air ducts, having this home retrofitted with ductwork could prove costly. Ductwork retrofitting projects often entail cutting into drywall, and they occasionally leave large sections of ducting visible in bedrooms and common areas.
Comparatively, ductless mini-split installation is only minimally invasive. Homes are divided into two to eight zones or service areas based on their layouts and residents’ needs. Indoor air handlers are installed on ceilings or upper walls and their thermostats are conveniently mounted nearby. Our HVAC technicians drill a small hole in the exterior wall of each service area and pass refrigerant tubing and electrical wires through. These are connected to the outdoor condenser unit that’s installed on a composite or concrete pad on the side of the building or in the backyard. Most mini-split installations take just two to four hours.
Boost the Value and Appeal of Your Property with a Mini-Split System
Installing a ductless mini-split system for winter use is a great way to modernize your home, increase its marketability, and add to its value. These are residential updates that many buyers are seeking. People who want efficient homes, cutting-edge technologies, customized comfort and convenience can often find all of these things in mini-splits.
Get Rid of Inefficient Baseboard Heaters
Upgrading an outdated, whole-house heating system to a mini-split is an excellent idea if you’ve been relying on baseboard heaters. Old baseboard heaters both use and waste considerable amounts of energy. These installations also leave large gaps and holes in the drywall behind them that increase the likelihood of rodent infestations. With a ductless mini-split, apart from a single hole for accommodating cords and refrigerant lines, no other structural modifications are required.
Update Your Rental or Fix-and Flip Home
If you recently purchased a low-cost, secondary property to fix and “flip”, installing a mini-split for winter heating could prove less costly than buying new ducted heating and cooling equipment, retrofitting the home with ducting, and having everything put in. Although mini-splits have a higher cost than central air conditioners, they provide year-round temperature control and when there’s no existing ducting, they’re cheaper overall.
Ductless Mini-Split Systems Promote a High Indoor Air Quality
In ducted HVAC systems, conditioned air must travel through long, complex channels of ducting. Even when homeowners are diligent about changing their HVAC air filters, ductwork can be riddled with trapped dirt, dust, dander, pet hair, and more. HVAC ductwork is also a common target for pests like rats, mice, raccoons, and insects that all leave dangerous pathogens and detritus behind.
With a ductless mini-split system, your heated and cooled air is distributed right where it’s produced. Paired with the smaller service areas of zoned systems this allows for more rapid heating and cooling, thus improving
indoor air quality. It also eliminates the considerable energy waste that occurs when conditioned air loses or gains heat while traveling through ducting.
Limit Your Use of Carbon Monoxide-Producing Appliances
If you’ve installed a ductless mini-split for whole-house cooling and already have a fixed heating solution, you can switch to your ductless mini-split on days with mild weather to minimize fuel combustion, reduce your carbon footprint, and limit your risk of carbon monoxide (CO) exposure.
Enjoy Unmatched Efficiency in Ideal Operating Conditions
You might have heard that ductless mini-split heat pumps consistently underperform on the coldest days of winter. In reality, this isn’t always true. When operating as air conditioners, ductless mini-split heat pumps are 300% to 400% efficient. They produce three to four times the amount of cooling energy that they consume in electric energy.
In winter, their efficiency levels decline as it becomes increasingly challenging to source warmth from the outdoor air and transfer it inside. However, if you purchase a high-performance, low-ambient heat pump, you won’t have this problem. These systems function at 100% efficiency or higher, even when outside temperatures drop down into the negatives. With winter temperatures in Kingman rarely falling below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, even a mid-level mini-split will provide impressive levels of efficiency all winter long.
Lower Your Home Heating Costs
With the right mini-split system, you could cut your home heating costs significantly. While central heating systems heat all building areas uniformly, you can use a ductless mini-split system to only heat the spaces that people are using. You won’t have to waste money heating unoccupied bedrooms, dens, or home offices, and you can still enjoy superior comfort everywhere else.
Experience Whisper-Quiet Operation
Among the many benefits of heating your home with a ductless mini-split is whisper-quiet operation. Whether heating or cooling, the best of these systems don’t produce much noise at all. You can run your mini-split system and still enjoy quiet conversations, your favorite TV program, or general peace and quiet. If you’re using a new mini-split instead of an old, fuel-combusting furnace, you’ll appreciate this change.
Avoid Arguments at the Thermostat
Ductless mini-splits make it easy to accommodate everyone’s needs during the winter months. With the ability to control their own thermostats, people are far less likely to argue about heater use and thermostat settings. Residents who prefer cooler room temperatures can turn their thermostats down or shut their air handlers off, and everyone else can enjoy the inflow of warm air.
Take Some Pressure Off Your Gas Furnace
Adding a mini-split to a home that already has a central furnace is a great way to extend the lifespan of this equipment. With less use, your furnace will sustain less wear and have a lower likelihood of breaking down when you need it. If you use a mini-split for cooling, you’ll love being able to reverse its operations for heating if your furnace ever fails during the coldest part of winter. In colder climates, using mini-splits as supplementary heating systems is a great way to avoid home heating emergencies.
Turn Uncomfortable Rooms Into Highly Preferred Spaces
One very popular use for ductless mini-splits in winter is heating rooms that aren’t connected to HVAC air ducts or that don’t get enough warm air. This is commonly the case in remote spaces like laundry rooms, garden rooms, and attached garages. However, mini-splits are also excellent heaters for recent room additions, including in-law apartments, attic bedrooms, and finished basements. Best of all, in addition to temperature control, mini-split systems offer air filtration and humidity regulation.
We proudly serve Kingman, KS and the surrounding cities. We offer exceptional heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical services. We also supply an outstanding selection of ductless mini-splits. To schedule an appointment, give Eck Services a call!