Considering Southwest Florida’s warm climate, you might already know a little about how convenient ductless mini-split systems are for keeping cool. What you might not know, however, is how ductless air conditioners save energy.
No Ducts Means Less Waste
Air ducts can lose cooled and heated air through leaks. Sealing the duct joints helps, but even after a thorough professional sealing job, the ducts will still lose a small amount of air. That loss adds up over the day. Ducts in unconditioned areas, such as the attics, are affected by the temperature of the surrounding air. For example, a hot attic warms cool air passing through the ducts. Although insulation helps, some waste inevitably occurs.
To understand how ductless air conditioning systems save energy, you’ll need to know how they differ from conventional ducted systems. Instead of using ducts to carry air from a central air handler to your rooms, ductless systems use air handlers on the walls, ceilings or floors to deliver conditioned air directly into your rooms.
Nothing leaks out so you receive all the air the system conditions. The air reaches you without having warmed up in the ducts, so you don’t have to adjust your thermostat to compensate for energy loss.
Precision Control Helps You Save
One ductless system outdoor unit can run up to four indoor air handlers. Each air handler can be independently controlled so you can lower the temperature setting on the air handlers in your hottest rooms, while raising the setting in areas that need less cooling.
You’ll no longer have to set the thermostat low on your whole air conditioning system just to achieve a comfortable temperature in one particular area of the house. This precision control reduces the load on your system, allowing it to use less energy so your cooling expenses fall. Better yet, you’ll also enjoy more even temperatures throughout the house, including in those areas that have always been hard to keep cool enough.
If you think a ductless system might be right for your home, contact us at Conditioned Air anywhere around Southwest Florida.