An energy-efficient home reduces the amount of energy used to provide the same level of service within your home. Energy efficiency can come in many forms, including a heating and cooling system, proper ventilation, energy star certified appliances, or adequately sealed windows. It can also imply that you use LED lightbulbs, unplug appliances, wash full laundry loads, and more. An energy-efficient home costs less to operate and produces fewer greenhouses gasses.
However, one of the most significant contributors to energy consumption in our home comes from the use of our HVAC system. Heating or cooling your home throughout the year accounts for a large portion of your overall energy costs. Therefore, having a system that is as energy efficient as possible can undoubtedly impact your life positively. Energy-efficient heating and cooling systems can improve the air quality in the home, lower the moisture levels in the air, and allow you to maintain a comfortable temperature. They also help you reduce the amount you pay on your home heating and cooling costs.
The Significance Of Residential Energy Efficiency
Contents
- 1 The Significance Of Residential Energy Efficiency
- 1.1 What Are Ductless Cooling And Heating Systems?
- 1.2 Why Is A Ductless HVAC System So Energy-Efficient?
- 1.3 What Are The Advantages Of Using A Ductless HVAC System?
- 1.4 Ductless Mini Splits: Great For Supplemental Forced-Air Heat And Air Conditioning
- 1.5 Why Ductless HVAC Is Better Than Window HVAC Systems
- 1.6 Check Out One Of Our Ductless Installation Projects
- 1.7 Call PFO Heating & Air Conditioning For All Of Your HVAC Needs
Energy Costs
One of the most important factors people consider when upgrading their heating or cooling system is cost. Improving your home’s energy system will save you money. It is expensive to heat or cool a home that is not energy efficient. According to the US Department of Energy, the average family spends over two thousand dollars every year on utility bills. However, you could potentially save hundreds of dollars each year once you switch to an energy-efficient heating and cooling system.
Furthermore, as an HVAC system ages, it becomes less energy efficient. Not only will you pay high energy costs, but you suffer in other ways you may not realize as well. For example, it compromises your indoor air quality. An efficient heating and cooling system uses energy more effectively. Also, it also ensures that you and your family members are breathing fresh, clean air, which is essential for good health. An energy-efficient home produces less of a carbon footprint and leaves the planet breathing better quality air right along with your family.
Indoor Air Quality
Moisture control is also significant for any home. Too much moisture encourages the growth of health hazards such as mold and decay. A considerable amount of moisture is expelled into a home every day. Furthermore, any humidity level over forty percent can start creating air quality issues. To protect your home and the air you breathe, proper ventilation with a high quality, energy-efficient heating, and cooling system is a must.
Property Value
You can also increase the overall value of your home by installing an energy-efficient heating and cooling system. Additionally, there are fewer costs involving maintenance and service fees, reduced charges on utility bills, and energy-efficient homes sell for a higher price on the housing market.
What Are Ductless Cooling And Heating Systems?
There are countless options for making your home more energy-efficient. One of the more popular ways is by having a Mitsubishi ductless mini-split heating and cooling system professionally installed.
A ductless mini-split heating and cooling system allow you to moderate the temperature throughout the individual zones or rooms of your home. A forced-air system heats or cools the entire house, but you can adjust a mini-split system for each zone. A mini-split system gives you the ability to set the temperature in each area of your home to your liking and personal preference. Furthermore, you can turn off one of the indoor units when a room is unoccupied. This aspect enables you to reduce your energy costs.
Ductless Installation
A ductless air conditioner or heat pump generally consists of an outside compressor and an indoor wall-mounted unit. They are relatively quick and easy to have installed. A ductless installation only requires a small three-inch hole drilled into the wall for the conduit to connect the indoor and outdoor components. They are less visible, quieter, and less prone to air or moisture leakage. These features make them an attractive choice for any home.
Systems that use traditional ductwork can lose up to thirty percent of your home’s energy through dirty ducts, leaks, or poor installation. With mini-split systems, there are no avenues for energy to escape. Additionally, due to their smaller size, mini-split systems use less power to operate than traditional systems that use ductwork. Conventional heating and cooling systems rely on cooling or heating the entire space of the house, but a mini-split system heats or cools only the rooms where you are running the unit. This saves a great deal of energy when they are not in use, resulting in less cost for you. You will enjoy the savings when you see the reduced charges on your monthly utility bills by opting for a ductless mini-split system.
Placement
Another attractive feature of a mini-split system is the flexibility in choosing where to have your indoor component placed. Maintaining the aesthetic appeal to your home’s interior design is understandably crucial for any homeowner. A mini-split system can be suspended from the ceiling, mounted on a wall, or even hidden in a drop ceiling. There are also floor units available if that works best for your home. Today’s modern mini-split units are much smaller and more discrete than some of the older models, and as such will not detract from the beauty of your home.
Why Is A Ductless HVAC System So Energy-Efficient?
Ductless HVAC systems have been used throughout the world and are an increasingly welcomed choice for many homeowners today. Mini-split systems started to rise in popularity about thirty-five years ago as they made their way to the United States from Japan. Ductless systems have maintained its appeal with homeowners due to its ability to create a more energy-efficient home, zone temperature control, reduced utility bills, and ease of installation. Mitsubishi mini-split systems contain both heating and cooling options in one unit and remain one of the top choices of ductless systems for consumers today.
Ductless HVAC System Design
Ductless systems are energy efficient because of their design and how they operate. You can lose thirty percent of your conditioned air due to duct leaks. Also, having ducts running through poorly insulated areas of the home, like an attic or a basement, is one way to pay more for getting less. A ductless system has no ducts. Therefore, there are no problems associated with the energy loss that is characteristic of HVAC ductwork. Also, because a mini-split system uses a transference method to heat or cool the air, it uses up to sixty percent less energy to operate than standard ducted systems.
Ductless HVAC systems use sophisticated technology that allows for zone-controlled temperature moderation. They also can adjust the speed of the fans to give you the ultimate control of your comfort while you are in your home.
Common Applications
The most common situations in which people are opting for a ductless system include:
- Older homes without HVAC ductwork
- Supplemental heating or air conditioning to central HVAC systems
- Areas where ductwork will not extend
- Problematic rooms
What Are The Advantages Of Using A Ductless HVAC System?
There are many other advantages to choosing a ductless HVAC system besides just increased energy efficiency and low energy costs.
The ease of installation is a top benefit for many homeowners. They won’t have to deal with ripping out walls or ceilings to replace or extend existing ductwork. It is much easier and less expensive to install a ductless system, especially for home renovations and additions. Ductless options require just a small hole drilled into the wall or ceiling where the indoor unit will be mounted. The conduit that is used to connect the indoor component to the outdoor condenser is thin and fits between walls easily, unlike bulky and cumbersome ducts.
Airflow
Energy-efficient ductless systems are designed to run continuously, unlike forced air systems. Most people are familiar with central air or heat units that cycle on and off repeatedly. Up to twenty-five percent of your home’s energy is saved when it uses a ductless system that does not employ stop and start cycles. Rather than running at full capacity and then shutting off, the compressor found in a mini-split system modulates the airflow to meet all your cooling and heating needs adequately and efficiently.
Mini-split systems may be a bit more expensive up front, but they have a much lower lifetime cost. When comparing the two options, ductless HVAC systems offer the best in terms of overall expense and more significant savings than forced air systems. There are also rebates and tax incentives that you may qualify for after you have an energy-efficient ductless heating and cooling system installed.
Aesthetic Appeal
You can also be assured that the interior of your home will not suffer from a big unit mounted on the wall. Many ductless systems can be recessed inside ceilings or mounted in a soffit if there is enough clearance. Visually all you will see are the air vents.
Most of the newer and modern units are controlled by remote control, and some even allow you to control it right from an app on your smartphone. Therefore, you can set your favorite room of the house to a comfortable temperature right before you get home from work.
Ductless Mini Splits: Great For Supplemental Forced-Air Heat And Air Conditioning
Mitsubishi mini-splits are also great if you just want to reduce the cost and longevity of your currently installed forced-air system. Your forced air unit will go through its stop and start cycle less often, which increases the life of the system. Therefore, it will be less likely to break down or need costly repairs as often. Additionally, there always seems to be one or two rooms in the house that do not get cooled or heated adequately. The zone-controlled benefits of a mini-split system can provide that additional chilled or heated air that you need to be truly comfortable. This is often the case in homes that have rooms with large windows, a new addition to the home, or an upstairs area.
Why Ductless HVAC Is Better Than Window HVAC Systems
Besides just energy efficiency and aesthetic appeal, Mitsubishi mini-splits beat out window units for several reasons. Window units are bulky and are known for being quite loud. One of the quietest window units available is listed as 54dB while ductless systems run as low as 22dB. Also, most window units have a single-stage setting. Ductless systems contain a variable-speed compressor, which further increases its energy efficiency. Lastly, ductless systems are installed inside of your home and do not present the security risks as a window unit does. Having a window unit gives any bad guys looking to gain access into your home an easy entry point.
Ductless HVAC systems, like the Mitsubishi mini-split, will greatly increase the energy efficiency of your home. Also, they are cost-effective, easily installed by a professional, aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly produce better air quality in which to live and breathe and will continue to make your home energy efficient and a place of comfort for you and your family for years to come with a whole lot of savings and very little maintenance.
Check Out One Of Our Ductless Installation Projects
Call PFO Heating & Air Conditioning For All Of Your HVAC Needs
For a reliable, trusted HVAC company that provides high-quality cooling and heating solutions, call PFO Heating & Air Conditioning. By working with us, you can expert superior HVAC services at honest prices.
For those who have an interest in exploring more about ductless systems, be sure to give us a call. Our staff of friendly, NATE certified technicians is here to help you with any questions that you may have.
We also offer other home comfort services, such as HVAC tune-ups, heating system repairs, and much more. We back all of the work that we perform for you by offering a guarantee. Schedule a free consultation by calling PFO Heating & Air Conditioning now!
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