Go Ductless with a Mini-Split Heat Pump Before we built a new home, I’d never heard of mini splits. What could they be, some kind of tiny frozen dessert or something? Mini splits are actually ductless heating-and-cooling systems. They look something akin to what you’ve probably seen in hotel rooms, though residential models these days are smaller and more streamlined. A mini-split system has two components: an indoor air-handling unit (or units) and an outdoor condenser. The components are connected by a conduit, and no ducts are involved. Related: Heating Systems 101 Mini-split technology has been around for 30 years, and it’s used a lot in Europe and Japan. Like a refrigerator, a heat pump uses electricity to pump refrigerant, transferring heat from one place to another. When that heat is being transferred from the outdoors to the inside of a house, that’s the heating mode. When heat is being transferred from the inside of a house to the outdoors, that’s the air-conditioning mode.

So mini splits can offer both heating and cooling in one. They are generally designed to cool and heat a single room or zone, and there may be up to four indoor handling units hooked up to a single outside condenser. Mini splits are not right for every space, but there are definitely advantages for particular applications. Here are a few places you might consider installing such a system: • A home that has no ductwork, like one that has previously had radiant or electric baseboard heat. One outdoor condenser can operate up to four indoor air handlers, so you could individually control four rooms/zones with a single mini-split system. • Rooms that are not regularly occupied. You can turn off the mini-split system and close the door to save money. • Additions or outbuildings where extending or installing ductwork is not feasible. • Spaces that are adjacent to unconditioned spaces (like garages, attics, and unfinished basements) where ductwork would be exposed to harsher temperatures.

We have our mini-split system in the bonus room over our garage. The garage is unconditioned, so running ductwork through that space would be a big energy loss liability for our HVAC system—a waste of money. We use that bonus room as a guest room, and it is unoccupied much of the time. We can close the door when no one is there, and that’s 400 square feet we’re not paying to heat or cool. Mini splits have no ducts and therefore can avoid the energy loss (up to 20% or 30%) that comes with forced-air systems running through ductwork. Mini splits can be hung on the wall or a ceiling, and some even come as freestanding units. I’m not going to lie. The mini-split system at our house is not cute. I don’t care for the way it looks. But it is quiet and it does keep the room remarkably comfortable. And I love that we’re not paying to heat or cool a room we don’t regularly use. For more on home heating, consider: 10 Space Heaters We Love Save Money with a Hybrid Furnace

How To: Choose the Right Furnace Filter Making the hottest places cool and the coolest places more comfortable Extensive lineup from 9,000 to 42,000 BTU/h 36 different systems available in 11 indoor unit styles Energy efficient systems with SEER ratings as high as 33.0 and HSPF as high as 14.2 25 ENERGY STAR® qualified systems Inverter Technology is used in all systemsyour ac unit is not cooling All systems feature environmentally friendly R410A refrigerantac window unit installation nyc Quiet operation with indoor units as low as 21 dB and outdoor units as low as 47 dBin the wall air conditioners reviews Extra Low Temp Heating Floor MountedRLFF (-5°F Heating) Floor MountedRLFFH (-15°F Heating)

This area is loaded with valuable information such as rebates, case studies, videos, news, press releases, an efficiency calculator and an easy way to locate your local Fujitsu General contractor.Window units are affordable, but detract from a building's facade. When a central heating and cooling system just can't keep your home comfortable enough to meet your needs, it may be time to consider single-room heating and cooling options. Units designed to condition individual rooms also serve as an effective solution for heating and cooling home additions not equipped with ductwork, or homes without central furnaces or air conditioners. Mini-Split Systems A mini-split system functions like a traditional heat pump, extracting heat from outdoors to warm the home in the winter, and removing heat from inside the house to cool the home during the summer. Because the system extracts heat rather than generates it, the system tends to operate at a high level of efficiency. A mini-split consists of an outdoor compressor and an indoor air handling unit.

A 3-inch conduit carries refrigerant between the two units, which can be positioned up to 50 feet apart, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. It's possible to connect up to four indoor units to heat and cool four individual rooms, using separate thermostats and a single outdoor unit. Window Units Window air conditioners offer an economical alternative to central air conditioning systems in terms of upfront costs. While these units are convenient and portable with plenty of options available, many consumers dislike the appearance of window air conditioners. These units also are fairly heavy, and usually must be removed at the end of each summer and reinstalled the next year to maximize home security. Portable Air Conditioners Portable air conditioners resemble portable heaters, and can be used to cool any room of the house, even those without operable windows. While these units tend to cost more than window units, they eliminate concerns over how the air conditioner affects the appearance of the building from the outside.

Look for models that offer 20 British thermal units of cooling capacity per square foot, suggests the DOE. Electric Heaters Electric heaters include both portable and permanent models designed to heat a single room. These units can be installed virtually anywhere in the home, although most portable units should not be placed in the bathroom or kitchen. They run off electricity, eliminating the need for fuel and ventilation, and can be tucked away in storage when not in use. One drawback to electric heating is that it is largely inefficient, making it much better suited to heating individual rooms rather than the whole house. Electric heaters come in many different forms, from portable radiant and convection units, to under-floor mats that heat tile floors and models that fit in wall cavities, ceilings, or even in the toe-kick under kitchen cabinets. Combustion Heaters Combustion heaters powered by oil, gas, wood or propane offer higher efficiency than electric heating, but cannot be used indoors in California unless they are permanently vented to the outdoors.