Ductwork runs from your heater to various vents in your home. It carries heated air and lets it flood from the vents, gradually raising the temperature of your home until you’re warm and toasty. But they’re inefficient.
You have heating options for your house without ductwork, and they’re customizable to a degree. They’re called ductless mini splits, and this is what you need to know about them before you say Sayonara to your ductwork.
Extremely Energy Efficient
Ductwork isn’t very efficient, but at the time, it was the best way to transfer heat from the heater to rooms across your home. Because a ductless mini split doesn’t need an extremely powerful blower that can propel warm air 30+ feet through tubing in your attic, it uses less power.
Beyond that, there’s energy loss that you often don’t see with ductwork in the form of leaks or poor air pressure, as well as dust that sticks to the sides and mucks up the tubes. Over time, ductwork becomes less efficient, but your mini split physically can’t run into those same problems.
Air is propelled directly into the room where the mini split is located, and with better efficiency than a traditional heater. But that’s not all.
Less Dust on Surfaces
While there are studies saying that ductwork doesn’t contribute to a noticeable decrease in your indoor air quality, let’s ask you one thing: have you ever noticed that rooms with air ducts tend to have more dust accumulate on surfaces? Ductless mini splits don’t create that problem.
Custom Heating Zones
Instead of heating your entire home at once, you can choose which rooms to heat. Having multiple mini splits allows you to create heating zones throughout your home, so if your mother-in-law wants her room to be warm, but you want the living room to be cooler, you can accommodate without running up your energy bills.
Are Ducted Systems Still Viable?
Yes. We’re not trying to come down on ducted systems as a whole, but there’s an increase in ductless heating (and cooling) options in new construction and replacements across the county, and it’s happening for a reason.
The ongoing hassle of ductwork has its downsides, and if you’re installing a heating system for the first time in a new home, ductwork creates more work, requires more space, and it doesn’t provide the level of energy efficiency you’re looking for in new construction.
While ducted systems are viable if you already have one and simply want to replace it (the ductwork is there, so why waste it?), there are more efficient options out there if your budget allows for them.
Ductless is Often the Better Option
Going ductless means you can control your zones, accommodate more temperature preferences throughout the home, and save money in the process. While ductless mini splits can have a higher upfront cost, they’re worth it for energy efficiency, customization, and fewer parts that can break. Goodbye, ductwork–it was nice knowing you.
Contact us today to schedule your new heater installation as soon as possible.