Ductless air conditioning

[deedeetoo]

Does anyone have any experience with this?

We have an older house with no ducts and no place to put them. Our heating system is oil with hot water radiators. We have been hearing about ductless air conditioning lately and that it can be combined with a heat pump to reduce your heating bill too. It sounds great to us - we can get rid of the window air conditioners that block air flow when they aren't needed and lower the oil bill during the winter.

But, we first called a contractor who was very highly rated on Angie's list and he gave us a ballpark over the phone quote of about $21,000 Our oil company also does air conditioning so we called them and they gave us a preliminary quote of $12,000, which is still more than we were thinking but half the first one. Both of course said they would need to visit to give us a better idea. Our house is only 1700 sq. ft. Both companies knew this when quoting.

We are in shock. Is it really this expensive? Has anyone had it installed? I'm looking for any good or bad experiences. TIA

 

[goofy77]

keep your window air units. It's cheaper

 

[shortbun]

Does anyone have any experience with this?

We have an older house with no ducts and no place to put them. Our heating system is oil with hot water radiators. We have been hearing about ductless air conditioning lately and that it can be combined with a heat pump to reduce your heating bill too. It sounds great to us - we can get rid of the window air conditioners that block air flow when they aren't needed and lower the oil bill during the winter.

But, we first called a contractor who was very highly rated on Angie's list and he gave us a ballpark over the phone quote of about $21,000 Our oil company also does air conditioning so we called them and they gave us a preliminary quote of $12,000, which is still more than we were thinking but half the first one. Both of course said they would need to visit to give us a better idea. Our house is only 1700 sq. ft. Both companies knew this when quoting.

We are in shock. Is it really this expensive? Has anyone had it installed? I'm looking for any good or bad experiences. TIA

My in-laws had the same set up and with radiators in most of the house. They had duct work installed with small air outputs all over the house. Their house is nice and cool now.

 

[hlg22]

Does anyone have any experience with this?

We have an older house with no ducts and no place to put them. Our heating system is oil with hot water radiators. We have been hearing about ductless air conditioning lately and that it can be combined with a heat pump to reduce your heating bill too. It sounds great to us - we can get rid of the window air conditioners that block air flow when they aren't needed and lower the oil bill during the winter.

But, we first called a contractor who was very highly rated on Angie's list and he gave us a ballpark over the phone quote of about $21,000 Our oil company also does air conditioning so we called them and they gave us a preliminary quote of $12,000, which is still more than we were thinking but half the first one. Both of course said they would need to visit to give us a better idea. Our house is only 1700 sq. ft. Both companies knew this when quoting.

We are in shock. Is it really this expensive? Has anyone had it installed? I'm looking for any good or bad experiences. TIA

That first quote seems incredibly high, but I guess it depends on how many you would need. I do have central A/C in my 1700 sq ft., 85 year old house, but the ducts are small (no room to put bigger ones), so it doesn't do a great job of cooling upstairs. Two years ago during our hot summer, I was not able to get it below 82-85 up there with the central air running. I installed a mini-split unit and it has been great. I do not use it for heat, just A/C - my heat is radiator and already on a dual-zone system. It was about $4,500 to install and has lowered my electric bills since I know run the central air less during the week, and instead just turn the mini-split on when I get home at night - it cools it off very quickly. But, it works for me because upstairs is a large, open master suite (about 400 sq ft) - the closet and bathroom are the only smaller areas with doors. If you had a bunch of small, closed off rooms it would likely not work as well or be more expensive as it would require a wall unit in each room.

 

[Art 1]

Does anyone have any experience with this?

We have an older house with no ducts and no place to put them. Our heating system is oil with hot water radiators. We have been hearing about ductless air conditioning lately and that it can be combined with a heat pump to reduce your heating bill too. It sounds great to us - we can get rid of the window air conditioners that block air flow when they aren't needed and lower the oil bill during the winter.

But, we first called a contractor who was very highly rated on Angie's list and he gave us a ballpark over the phone quote of about $21,000 Our oil company also does air conditioning so we called them and they gave us a preliminary quote of $12,000, which is still more than we were thinking but half the first one. Both of course said they would need to visit to give us a better idea. Our house is only 1700 sq. ft. Both companies knew this when quoting.

We are in shock. Is it really this expensive? Has anyone had it installed? I'm looking for any good or bad experiences. TIA

Yes, they are pricey. I would recommend having UV lights installed in them, by their nature they are prone and will get mildew and mold on the blower. Stick to a established manufacturer, I would recommend Mitsubishi. There are cheaper off brand units that come out of the Orient that don't stay in business long and parts become impossible to find. I have seen people have to replace 2 year old ones due to outdated parts. With any of them though expect high repair costs and lengthy down time due to a lack of repair parts. It is also hard to find qualified people to make repairs.

 

[RadioNate]

I see you are in Massachusetts. Would a heat pump really be that efficient in the winter?

They lose effectiveness as the temperature drops.

 

[laughinplace199]

We have a ductless unit in our family room (we use it for heating and cooling). I don't recall exactly how much it cost, but it was somewhere around $1800. Our one unit cools our entire downstairs (our house is 2 stories, 2000 sq ft). When used for heat, it really only warms the family room; we rely on our main heat source for the rest of the house.

I have no idea what a heat pump is, so I can't help with that part.

 

[lisaviolet]

Well, just part of the equation:

I've had a heat pump in one of my condos just loved it. Was in the place for many years and never had one repair on it and it never disappointed (each unit had their own). And my energy bills were a joke, in a good way. I loved the freedom of using air conditioning when it was off season, without preparing the system in any way.

Miss it so much that it's part of my hunt when looking for new properties. Unfortunately, my latest condo doesn't have it.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

We have a ductless unit in our family room (we use it for heating and cooling). I don't recall exactly how much it cost, but it was somewhere around $1800. Our one unit cools our entire downstairs (our house is 2 stories, 2000 sq ft). When used for heat, it really only warms the family room; we rely on our main heat source for the rest of the house. I have no idea what a heat pump is, so I can't help with that part.

A heat pump is an AC in reverse. It pulls the heat from the outside and releases it inside.

 

[Snoozan]

I see you are in Massachusetts. Would a heat pump really be that efficient in the winter?

They lose effectiveness as the temperature drops.

We are also in Massachusetts(western part)and used our heat pump for the vast majority of the winter. However, we have a 1300 sq foot ranch and are able to close off 2 of the bedrooms during the day. At night, we'd leave our bedroom door open for heat(I need a cool bedroom - 64 degrees is my ideal). We averaged just over $200 per month in electric bills for the 3 coldest months. This was using just one of our units(we have 2nd one in bedroom, but never used it for heat - just for A/C). Best of all, we used only 1 tank of oil from June until March - most of that for heating our hot water.

 

[deedeetoo]

We are also in Massachusetts(western part)and used our heat pump for the vast majority of the winter. However, we have a 1300 sq foot ranch and are able to close off 2 of the bedrooms during the day. At night, we'd leave our bedroom door open for heat(I need a cool bedroom - 64 degrees is my ideal). We averaged just over $200 per month in electric bills for the 3 coldest months. This was using just one of our units(we have 2nd one in bedroom, but never used it for heat - just for A/C). Best of all, we used only 1 tank of oil from June until March - most of that for heating our hot water.

Wow that sounds great. If we could get that type of performance that would be wonderful.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[M5ward]

My son has the ductless a/c in the downstairs of his VERY old (built on the 1800's) house. The system is very efficient and certainly didn't cost anywhere near $21,000. He has three units in all...probably $10,000-$12,00 total.

 

[ilovepcot]

I'd look into a PTAC unit that offers both air and heat. They're surprisingly efficient. Have one for a summer room we built onto an existing house and am very happy with it.

 

[Art 1]

I'd look into a PTAC unit that offers both air and heat. They're surprisingly efficient. Have one for a summer room we built onto an existing house and am very happy with it.

Just make sure to put bars around the exterior, it can be very easy for robbers to get in through them.

 

[ilovepcot]

Just make sure to put bars around the exterior, it can be very easy for robbers to get in through them.

We were aware and did. Thanks!