Ductless Heating & Air Conditioning - Fishkill & Cold Spring, NY

DUCTLESS HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING

Fishkill, Cold Spring, Garrison, Beacon, New York HVAC SERVICES

Button
Button

Ductless Mini Splits & Heat Pump

Traditional central air conditioning is not always the best fit for every home. If you have an older home, installing whole-home air conditioning may not be possible due to lack of space for ductwork. Fortunately, there’s a popular, flexible solution: ductless heating and cooling units, known as ductless mini splits.

Whether you're replacing an HVAC system in your home or creating a design for a new property and installing HVAC ducting our knowledgeable associates can help you decide what HVAC equipment is best for your individual needs.

What Are Ductless Mini Splits?

Mini splits don’t need full-sized air ducts to work. A conventional central A/C system generates cold air at a single point and distributes it via large ducts throughout the home. A ductless mini split system, on the other hand, uses an individual fan and evaporator unit for each room.

Having mini split units in each air-conditioned room allows you to better control the temperature of each room in your home. Rooms that aren’t being used regularly can be turned off to save energy. Rooms that get pretty warm can have the temperature adjusted to be more comfortable. The room-by-room control that ductless mini splits allow for lowers energy costs better than a whole-home air conditioning system. Also available are dual-zone mini splits as well as tri-zone mini splits.

These units are also quieter, more energy efficient and more adaptable than traditional systems. Ductless A/C installation is also easier and cheaper with DIY mini splits.

REQUEST SERVICE

Explore Ductless Air Conditioners

If you need heating as well as cooling, you can purchase a ductless mini split heat pump. A heat pump is a great way to supplement heat in home additions or areas that are difficult to warm, such as rooms over garages, porches or basements. There are also mini split units with timers if you want it to turn on and off at specific times. Reference our handy Air Conditioner Buying Guide when it’s time to consider your air conditioning options.

HEAT PUMP MINI SPLITS

Ductless, mini-split-system heat pumps (mini splits) make good retrofit add-ons to houses with "non-ducted" heating systems, such as hydronic (hot water heat), radiant panels, and space heaters (wood, kerosene, propane). They can also be a good choice for room additions where extending or installing distribution ductwork is not feasible, and very efficient new homes that require only a small space conditioning system. Be sure to choose an ENERGY STAR® compliant unit and hire an installer familiar with the product and its installation.

Like standard air-source heat pumps, mini splits have two main components -- an outdoor compressor/condenser and an indoor air-handling unit. A conduit, which houses the power cable, refrigerant tubing, suction tubing, and a condensate drain, links the outdoor and indoor units.

Advantages

The main advantages of mini splits are their small size and flexibility for zoning or heating and cooling individual rooms. Many models can have as many as four indoor air-handling units (for four zones or rooms) connected to one outdoor unit. The number depends on how much heating or cooling is required for the building or each zone (which in turn is affected by how well the building is insulated and air sealed). Each of the zones has its own thermostat, so you only need to condition occupied spaces. This will save energy and money.

Ductless mini-split systems are easier to install than some other types of space conditioning systems. For example, the hook-up between the outdoor and indoor units generally requires only a three-inch hole through a wall for the conduit. Most manufacturers of this type of system can provide a variety of lengths of connecting conduits, and, if necessary, you can locate the outdoor unit as far away as 50 feet from the indoor evaporator. This makes it possible to cool rooms on the front side of a house, but locate the compressor in a more advantageous or inconspicuous place on the outside of the building.

Mini splits have no ducts, so they avoid the energy losses associated with the ductwork of central forced air systems. Duct losses can account for more than 30% of energy consumption for space conditioning, especially if the ducts are in an unconditioned space such as an attic.

In comparison to other add-on systems, mini splits offer more interior design flexibility. The indoor air handlers can be suspended from a ceiling, mounted flush into a drop ceiling, or hung on a wall. Floor-standing models are also available. Most indoor units are about seven inches deep and have sleek, high tech-looking jackets. Many also offer a remote control to make it easier to turn the system on and off when it's positioned high on a wall or suspended from a ceiling.

Split systems can help keep your home safer, because there is only a small hole in the wall. Through-the-wall and window-mounted room air conditioners can provide easy access for intruders.

Disadvantages

The cost of installing mini splits can be higher than some systems, although lower operating costs and rebates or other financial incentives -- offered in some areas -- can help offset the initial expense.

The installer must correctly size each indoor unit and determine the best location for its installation. Oversized or incorrectly located air handlers can result in short cycling, which wastes energy and does not provide proper temperature or humidity control. Too large a system is more expensive to buy and operate.

Some people may not like the appearance of the indoor part of the system. While less obtrusive than a window room air conditioner, these units don’t have the built-in look of a central system. There must also be a place to drain condensate water near the outdoor unit.

Qualified installers and service people for mini splits may not be easy to find. Check with local heating and cooling contractors to find out how common these systems are in your area and who has experience installing and servicing them.