Are you searching for a efficient, budget-friendly home comfort system? If electricity is the best or only solution available to you, a central heat pump or ductless mini-split could be a convenient option. Both systems run on electric power and operate in heating and cooling modes for 365 days of comfort. So, have you made your choice? If you're still trying to decide, get the details about each HVAC system to help you settle on a make and model.
What Is a Heat Pump?
A heat pump is a kind of central climate control system. Different from a furnace, which creates usable heat for the home by combusting a fuel source, a heat pump moves heat from one place to another. In the winter, it pulls out heat energy from the air outside and deposits it inside. Then, a built-in reversing valve allows it to complete this process backward in the summer, running the same as an AC system to remove heat and humidity from indoor air and vent it outside.
What Is a Mini-Split?
A mini-split is designed on the same principle as a heat pump. Actually, it is a kind of heat pump — but although they don’t use the ductwork. That’s why it’s called a “ductless” system. A mini-split is designed as a ceiling- or wall-mounted unit with a built-in air handler. This indoor equipment links directly to an outdoor condensing unit through a tiny hole drilled through the wall. Several indoor units can link up with a single outdoor unit, allowing for whole-home comfort with no ductwork necessary.
Making Your Selection
These are the most important things to consider when choosing between a heat pump and a mini-split for your East Syracuse home.
Ductwork & Installation
If your home is currently heated and cooled with a conventional furnace and AC unit, the necessary ductwork infrastructure is already in place. Therefore, installing a heat pump is potentially the more affordable solution.
That being said, if you live in an older home or have just made an addition, you may not have ductwork accessible to use that space year-round. In this case, installing a mini-split is much less complex and costs far less than installing in the ductwork required for a heat pump.
Unit Control
Heat pumps are controlled very much like most other central heating and cooling systems: by adjusting a wall-mounted thermostat installed in a central location. On the flip side, ductless mini-splits have a remote that lets you control each wall-mounted unit from anywhere in the room.
Zoning
If you’re satisfied with controlling the temperature throughout the house using a single thermostat, zoning may not be worth the effort. But you can increase home comfort and reduce wasted energy by heating and cooling separate rooms independently.
Such ‘zoned’ temperature control can be integrated into a central heat pump system by using multiple thermostats and ductwork dampers. But it may be easier and more cost-effective to install mini-splits in rooms with specific temperature needs, whether they’re heated and cooled by a central HVAC system or not.
Design Versatility
Heat pumps don’t emphasize flexibility. Instead, they can replace your existing furnace and air conditioner and offer whole-house comfort with help from a network of air ducts.
Mini-splits have greater versatility for where you can put the unit. You can place one in a single room that you would otherwise find difficult to keep comfortable. You could mount one in a converted garage or sunroom without new ductwork. You can also outfit the entire house with a mini-split air handler in each room, all hooked up to the outdoor condensing unit for cost-effective operation.
Energy Efficiency
Modern heat pumps are more efficient than ever. There are even cold-climate versions on the market for a performance boost at low temperatures.
Even so, ductless mini-splits are basically more efficient because they don’t suffer the energy losses affiliated with leaky ductwork. The average home loses more than 20% of the air passing through the ductwork to poor air sealing or a lack of insulation. This suggests that a mini-split is more likely to produce the same quantity of hot or cold air at a lower cost.
Appearance
Heat pumps look pretty much the same as central AC units. The outdoor unit is nearly indistinguishable, and the indoor air handler stays within a utility closet or place in the basement.
In contrast, mini-splits are easy to view. The air handlers come in sleek jackets designed to be inconspicuous, but they are clearly visible in any room in which they are installed on the wall or ceiling.
Schedule Heat Pump or Mini-Split Installation
No matter which system you decide is right for your home, Falso Service Experts can accomplish the professional installation you count upon. Our techs are ready to deliver excellent products and services protected by our one-year 100% satisfaction guarantee. To ask more questions about heat pumps vs. mini-splits or request an installation estimate, please contact your nearest Falso Service Experts office today.