Ductless air conditioning is powerful, and we hear a lot about its benefits, but how good is it in reality? Let’s take a deep dive into ductless and see if it’s the type of Long Beach air conditioning that makes sense for your home, budget, and family.
Ductless Is Cheaper to Run, But More Expensive to Install
Ductless air conditioning blogs and websites that tout the benefits need to address the nuances, too. While ductless AC is cheaper to maintain (since there’s no ductwork) and on average, you pay less in monthly utility bills, there’s a bigger upfront cost associated with their installation.
Do you need one unit, or up to four? That drastically changes the price. If one unit isn’t enough to cool your home, you can stress it out and go through a lot of wear and tear damage quickly, so you might need two or more.
What we’re advising is to look at the bigger picture of how much it’s going to cost you. You can calculate this based on the square footage of your home, how many occupants there are, and whether or not you’ve encountered problems with central AC not doing a good enough job at cooling your home.
Installation is Rather Quick
No ductwork means fewer potential problems that can happen during installation. Not only that, but the physical process of installing a single ductless unit can be less tedious than putting in a new central AC cabinet. Unless multiple air handlers are being installed, the installation process is quicker, and it’s extremely nice if your schedule doesn’t allow for an eight-hour break from work to be there when a central unit is installed.
They’re Flexible, But You May Not Require That Flexibility
One huge appeal to ductless air conditioning is the ability to zone different areas of your home at different temperatures. If you have an in-law suite, they can keep the temperature different from how you like the living room. This makes it customizable, keeps everyone happy, and gives more granular control over your expected energy bills each month.
More Headers Equal Better Air Quality
Each ductless header has its own air intake and air filter. Not only are these filters easy to clean, but you don’t have to buy those huge central AC filters anymore, so that’s a plus. The more headers you have, the more air is being filtered throughout the house. This keeps a better general level of indoor air quality.
But if you already have an IAQ system, this isn’t a major selling point. Air purifiers still do more work than four ductless headers will, so if you already have an IAQ solution installed, this benefit doesn’t really apply.
Ductless Is Powerful, But Not for Everyone
While ductless has its benefits, it’s expensive upfront and may not make sense if you have a small family. Especially if they aren’t that picky about the average house temperature. If the benefits or cost-related drawbacks aren’t a concern for you, ductless is a better option in most areas compared to central air conditioning, but ultimately it’s up to your preferences.
Contact Southwest HVAC today to schedule your Long Beach ductless AC installation as soon as possible.