Ductless mini-split air conditioners are well-known for their efficiency. With ductless AC systems installed, homeowners in Oviedo, Florida don’t have to waste money cooling down rooms that they aren’t actively using. But did you know that ductless mini-split heat pumps can provide the same benefits in winter? Ductless heat pumps offer year-round functionality and the ability to shave considerable amounts of money off of your home energy bill. Read on to discover how.
Ductless Heat Pumps Use Heat Transfer to Create Comfortable Indoor Temperatures
In areas with extremely cold winter weather, boilers and furnaces are both top choices for heating solutions. Many of these units run on combustion. They use heating oil, natural gas, or other fuels to generate heat that’s then blown through a series of air ducts for distribution. Boilers and furnaces heat homes uniformly. This means that the temperature that’s set at a single thermostat will be established in every room throughout the entire building.
Comparatively, ductless mini-split pumps use electricity to produce heat. Although there are electric furnaces and boilers, they don’t offer the same level of efficiency that mini-split heat pumps supply. With an electric heat pump, heat is produced during the winter via thermal transfer. Heat pumps collect hot air from outdoors and bring it inside. Thus, they aren’t actually creating heat. Instead, they’re moving it. This is done using refrigerant and the carefully timed pressurization and depressurization of this fluid. Best of all, when winter reaches its end, ductless heat pumps can reverse their operations to provide equally efficient cooling. Heat pumps function well in areas like Oviedo, Florida because they’re able to extract adequate amounts of heat from the outdoor air even when temperatures drop as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Not only are ductless heat pumps cheaper to use than boilers or furnaces, but they’re also a bit safer as well. The use of natural gas and heating oil produces combustion gases that must be vented outdoors. This is an inescapable part of having a boiler or furnace in your home. However, there are no potentially harmful emissions that are produced by ductless mini-split heat pumps. With these units, there’s no fear of having a dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) leak occur while using your heater during the daytime or evening hours.
Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pumps Offer Customized Temperature Control
The heat transfer process that ductless mini-split heat pumps use is far more efficient than the combustion heating that’s provided by boilers and forced-air furnaces. However, the fact that these units can be streamlined to suit the constantly changing needs of individual households is their major selling point. While a home that has a boiler or a furnace might have just one thermostat, ductless mini-split heating systems can have as many as eight. When these systems are put in, the entire house is broken down into service areas or zones. Each zone is given its own thermostat and its own air handler, and each thermostat can be set independently of the others.
This is beneficial in a broad range of ways. Not only does it keep homeowners from heating up rooms or larger areas that no one is using, but it also eliminates the need to warm up spaces that people might prefer to have a bit cooler. If there are multiple people in your household and each person has their own temperature preferences, a ductless mini-split heat pump can accommodate them all. If you prefer to be cooler, you can turn the air handler in your room or zone off, even as other people throughout the building enjoy consistent heating.
There Are Indoor Air Quality Benefits Too
With boilers and furnaces, energy loss occurs in multiple ways. Heat that’s being distributed often seeps out of tiny cracks and gaps in HVAC ducts. Heat can also be lost as a result of insufficient insulation. By their very nature, HVAC air ducts are inefficient. Switching to a ductless system eliminates these and other forms of energy waste. It also has a marked impact on indoor air quality (IAQ).
Warm air that’s produced by a ductless heat pump during the winter isn’t being routed through dusty, pollutant-riddled ductwork. Instead, it’s distributed in each room via an air handler. Moreover, although ductless heat pumps are capable of extracting excess moisture from the indoor air, they don’t have the same drying effect that forced-air furnaces and other duct-reliant heating systems do. As a result, there’s no need to invest in integrated HVAC accessories such as humidifiers, dehumidifiers, or media filters. You can enjoy balanced humidity and cleaner indoor air without this extra spending.
When winter temperatures are fairly warm, you can also use your ductless heat pump in dry mode. The dry mode setting will keep your home’s interior from feeling hot and muggy by cycling your indoor air through the system without the use of refrigerant. In dry mode, ductless heat pumps use less energy than they do while heating or cooling, and yet they still provide effective humidity control.
Additional Savings Gained by Switching to a Heat Pump
There are also extended benefits to having a ductless heat pump put in. With a ductless heating solution, you can sidestep the need for ductwork repairs, professional ductwork cleaning, and eventual air duct replacement. With cleaner indoor air and constant humidity regulation, you may even be able to sidestep common issues such as mold and mildew. These are benefits that you’ll enjoy on top of lower home energy bills, a lower carbon footprint, and customized comfort for every resident.
How to Know if a Ductless Mini-Split Is the Right Choice for Your Home
Ductless heat pumps are a great heating solution for homes in areas with mild winter temperatures. Even when the outside temperatures fall below freezing, these units can still extract outdoor heat and bring it indoors. You definitely want to consider investing in a ductless heat pump if you’re tired of spending money to heat up your entire home, even when other people aren’t present. Ductless heat pumps are also an excellent choice for households in which residents have dramatically different preferences for indoor temperatures.
If your home currently lacks a fixed, central heating solution, this is one of the best options currently available for residents of Florida. They have a minimal environmental impact, and they are inexpensive to use. These units make it easy to keep your heating costs under control while protecting and even improving your indoor air quality.
Another great reason to invest in a ductless heat pump is the fact that these modern heating solutions add both value and appeal to residential properties. The same benefits that you’ll enjoy after putting this system in will make your home easier to market if you ever choose to sell it. Modern buyers are often impressed with cutting-edge and highly efficient upgrades like these.
At American Air, Plumbing, and Electrical, we’ve been providing superior heating and cooling services to residents of Oviedo, Florida and the surrounding area since 1986. Our customers can count on us for reliable HVAC installation, maintenance, and repair services. We also offer ductless systems, indoor air quality solutions, and duct cleaning services. If you’re ready to experience the benefits of a ductless mini-split heat pump firsthand, give us a call today!
