Are Ductless Air Conditioners Right for You?

Ductless air-conditioners are a unique cooling appliance that splits the difference between through-the-wall and central air-conditioning. Popular for many years in Europe and Asia, ductless mini split air conditioners and heat pumps are at fast becoming just as popular in the United States.

Ductless air conditioners are ideal for installations where adding ductwork is nearly impossible, especially in older homes and buildings. These conditioners are really efficient and quiet and they similar to central air units but they are smaller and quieter. In a way, a ductless air conditioner is a traditional window-mounted unit and a ducted central air system combined.

Ductless air conditioners are called "mini-split" systems because they are similar to a regular ducted split central air conditioner, only on a smaller scale. Ductless split-system air-conditioners combine the zoning flexibility of a conventional room unit (a single air-conditioner installed through a wall or a window frame) with the whole-house cooling potential of central systems.

They typically consist of two basic parts: an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. An indoor unit contains an air handling unit, an evaporator. Multiple evaporators may be attached to a single compressor. Variable speed high efficiency fans are also available. A separate outside portion is called a compressor/condenser.

And because ductless air conditioning systems don't require large spaces unlike central or window air conditioning systems, they can be installed anywhere in the room and fit easily into the rooms where central air conditioning systems simply just don't. Additional advantages over central air conditioners include the attractive designs, easy installation. quiet operation, versatility in zoning and design, and security. (Window air conditioners are portable, but they represent safety concerns with unlocked windows.) The split systems also eliminate the loss of cool air as it passes through the ductwork.

The main disadvantage of split-system units is their cost. These units command an investment of about $1,500-$2,000 per ton (12,000 Btu/h) of cooling capacity. This is about 30% more expensive than central systems and twice the cost of window units of similar capacity.

The investment may be leveled when compared with the advantage of not having to rewire an entire house to cool (or heat) those areas without ducts and the efficiencies gained in zone cooling. Afterall, its certainly much less expensive over time to cool only the parts of the home where its immediately needed.

Ductless air conditioners can be purchased where most air conditioners are found online and offline at most chain hardware stores.