Ductless AC systems – also referred to as ductless heat pumps or mini-splits – are becoming increasingly popular in the Sacramento area. Due to their flexible physical footprint and cooling technology, they are great solutions for problem areas in the home.
For example, many older homes may experience hot and cold spots or have recent add-ons that do not have access to the original ductwork. Ductless heating and cooling can provide great air regulation to these spaces and ensure the entire home’s temperature and air quality is controlled.
Luckily, Big Mountain Heating & Air is experienced with ductless air systems and all of their home benefits – including their major money-saving qualities!
Financial Benefits of Ductless AC
One of the biggest advantages of going ductless is the reduced operational cost of running your AC system. Your AC system can account for up to 25% of your total energy consumption every single month. That’s a huge amount of energy and money that can be reduced or used in more strategic ways towards your home’s comfort.
Switching to a ductless design can bring you significant savings in four main areas:
Multi-Purpose Design
Some older Sacramento homes use a boiler for heating their home and a separate cooling system during the warmer months. Not only can these systems be outdated, but you would have to replace two separate systems and cover the costs of each individually.
With ductless AC your home’s heating and cooling systems become one and the same. The system uses the same process to cool your home in the summer and warm it in the winter. Merging the two systems can save you a lot of money by making the process streamlined and essentially eliminating an entire system that could need repairs, maintenance and replacement.
High Efficiency
In traditional HVAC systems that use ducts to deliver conditioned air, up to 30% of air can be lost inside the ducts. Forced-air systems rely on ducts to be the passageway to the vents in your home, but if air is escaping through tiny leaks, holes or seals it can be a waste of energy and money.
Ductless systems don’t use ducts to provide your home with hot or cold air. The air handler immediately releases air into the space where it is located in your home, reducing the amount of efficiency waste during the delivery process.
Installation Costs
If your home is older and does not have a pre-existing network of ducts in the attic or walls, you could be looking at a large expense to install the ducts for your HVAC system. In fact, duct installation is usually the most expensive part of traditional AC installations.
Ductless AC units may be more expensive to buy up front than their traditional counterparts, but the sheer amount of money saved during installation goes a long way to making up the difference.
Reduced Energy Use
Traditional HVAC systems regulate the entire home even when only a couple of rooms are in use. Ductless systems use zone-cooling technology to make your home much more energy efficient.
Each outdoor unit can feed multiple air handlers placed strategically around the home. Each air handler can be controlled separately from the others as well. This design allows you to send less air to less trafficked rooms and focus on the areas of your home that you use the most. By targeting the specific areas to use energy to heat or cool, your energy bill will decline rapidly.
Interested in An Efficient AC Alternative?
Big Mountain Heating & Air is proud to help our customers make their homes more comfortable and more environmentally friendly. If you’d like to know more about ductless AC systems, contact our friendly professionals today!