Are ductless air conditioners worth it?

January 14, 2021
Air conditioner

Ductless air conditioners can definitely be worth exploring, depending on your home cooling needs. There are a large variety of benefits when having this type of appliance installed in your Ottawa area home. A ductless air conditioning system allows for enhanced customisation of the climate in your home. If you have multiple units in multiple rooms, you can adjust the temperature  of each unit based on how much time you spend in each room. For instance, if you have a unit in both your living room and your bedroom, then you can have your living room unit on during the day and your bedroom unit on at night. This sort of set-up is going to save you money on your energy bills when you’re comparing it with a whole home set-up.


When it comes to the cost of installation, the decision may come down to whether or not you have an existing duct system in your home. If you have no previous ducts installed then a central air system will end up costing you more money as ducts will have to be installed. If you do already have a duct system, then central air could end up saving you money on the installation. A ductless air conditioning system would be an excellent idea if you don’t have ducts, or even don’t want ducts installed into your home. The ductless system is simple and has only two parts, the wall-mounted indoor unit, and the outdoor conduit. As the name implies, there are no ducts involved.


The decision will also depend on a few other things, like the size of your home as ductless air conditioning systems generally do not have the amount of power required to cool an entire home. They would be an excellent choice for a condo or anyone looking to cool only one or two rooms. Ductless air conditioning units also tend to be quieter than central air systems, if you are sensitive to sounds then a ductless AC could be right for you. Some ductless air conditioning units also have supplemental heating capabilities, if you find yourself using a space heater every winter, you should consider installing a ductless system because you will not only get a new air conditioner but also a nice wall-mounted heater.


The drawback to a ductless air conditioning system is that it will be a visible fixture in your home. Unlike central air where the main unit is installed in a basement or closet out of sight, ductless air conditioners are mounted to the wall in your living room or bedroom. If you are concerned about the aesthetics of your home, it is possible that a ductless system is not the right choice.


To sum it up, ductless air conditioning systems give you greater zoning control, can be less expensive, are quieter, and have a greater potential for energy efficiency than a central air conditioning system.






Are ductless AC units more efficient?


Ductless air conditioners can be more efficient than central air systems for multiple reasons. A large contributing factor is the lack of ductwork. A traditional central air system cools the air in your home but then has to push it through a duct system. While moving through the ducts, the treated air may become warmer, which means that your AC unit will have to produce more cool air to lower the temperature in your home to the desired level.


A central air conditioning unit also has a greater potential for efficiency loss. Unless a duct system has been flawlessly installed, then there is going to be efficiency loss through damaged and aging ductwork. Your ducts could also have been installed with too many sections and the system may have ended up much longer than is ideal. Installing a ductless air conditioner is much more straight-forward than central air. There are only two pieces and it is very hard to damage the efficiency of the unit through installation.


If you have multiple wall units installed in multiple rooms, you can simply turn one unit off. This allows for increased efficiency as you no longer have to pay to cool rooms that you aren’t using. A ductless system allows for complete control over the atmosphere in your home.


Most newer ductless air conditioning systems have excellent SEER ratings. Put simply, a SEER rating is the ratio of cooling output to the energy wattage used to create that cool air. So the better SEER rating your air conditioning unit, the more efficient it is as it’s creating more cool air while using less energy.


Overall, there are many reasons why a ductless air conditioning system can be more efficient than another type of air conditioner. Between the elimination of duct systems, to the use of more modern and efficient technology, ductless air conditioners can add efficiency to your home, which means a reduction in energy usage and that saves you money on your bills.



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