If your home is full of small window or room air conditioners that operate noisily and require replacement after a very short time, it’s time for an upgrade. Ductless air conditioners are efficient and they perform better than even many ducted systems. Here’s a primer on how these systems operate and what makes them such a good choice for a ductless home or a single room.
The Components Are Much Like Conventional Air Conditioners
Ductless air conditioners are different than conventional air conditioners and heat pumps in really only one area: the absence of ducts. By all accounts, the components of a ductless air conditioner are nearly the same. There is an outside compressor unit, designed to pump refrigerant and dissipate heat, and an indoor air handler.
However, there may be multiple indoor air handlers around the house if you are cooling an entire house. These are mounted high up on the wall and blow air directly into the rooms instead of into ducts. Refrigerant absorbs heat at the evaporator coil inside of the unit, and moves back to the outdoor unit to dissipate heat and begin the cycle over again, just like with a conventional AC.
Ductless AC Systems Are Highly Efficient
The design of a ductless AC system is what makes it so efficient. A ductless system is built to last, and many units have a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) that is higher than the average air conditioner and much higher than window unit efficiency ratings. Additionally, ductless air conditioners don’t waste any of the additional energy that ducted systems can discard in the ducts. Duct leaks are a reality for most homeowners, but a ductless system eliminates this issue completely.
Bonus: Most Ductless Systems Are Also Heaters
As a bonus, most ductless systems are heat pumps that work just as efficiently in the winter as heating systems. Heat pumps have the ability to move refrigerant in the other direction, pumping heat from the outside to the inside. Moving heat is usually a less energy-intensive process than generating heat.
Call a ductless AC specialist at Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. for information and installation in the Bloomfield, NM area.