Ductless HVAC

[disneychrista]

I am in the process of getting quotes to replace my HVAC system. What is your experience with ductless systems? Do you like? Do they work as well as central air? Did it lower your electric bill? What about the room units, how intrusive are they?

 

[CGB]

We had a Daikin system installed in our finished basement about 10-12 years ago. Upstairs is a normal HVAC with the ductwork, but there was no room for ducts in the basement. Our HVAC company thought it was the best and most economical solution for the basement. The units are not intrusive and work quite well for both cooling and heating. The connecting conduits were run through the walls up into the false ceiling so we don't see them. We have three mini-splits; 2 smaller units in the bedrooms and a larger one in the family room. Each room's temp can be independently set. There are filters inside that can be rinsed a couple of times a year to clean it. The outside unit is mounted to the side of the house. Just like an outside AC unit, it needs a good washing off each spring. As far as monthly costs, it didn't add that much more to the overall utility bill. We've been very happy with the units.

 

[cvjw]

We had a mini split added to our basement a few years ago. Previously, the HVAC unit for our main unit covered the basement too. It never seemed to cool very well. The addition of the mini split and new HVAC units for both additional floors has been life changing. All three levels are cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Our electricity bills did not go up with the addition of the mini split. Our electricity bill is still right at $100 - $150 a month with the 3 systems.

 

[_19disnA]

I think those individual room units make the most sense if need to heat/cool a single room, perhaps use the garage as a workshop in the winter or have added a room and the size of your current HVAC system doesn't have the extra capacity. For an existing home that already has the HVAC ductwork, I doubt most reputable contractors would recommend replacing that system with individual room units. Why are you considering going to ductless when you home already has the ductwork distribution system in place? Makes sure to get quotes from reputable contractors who offer a variety of systems and aren't simply pushing you to buy what they happen to sell.

 

[dez1978]

I have never heard of this. How does it work??? Off to google.

 

[mjkacmom]

We do not have central air, got a quote for a couple ductless units, I think it was around $40,000. Sticking with window units.

 

[disneychrista]

Why are you considering going to ductless when you home already has the ductwork distribution system in place? Makes sure to get quotes from reputable contractors who offer a variety of systems and aren't simply pushing you to buy what they happen to sell.

Duct work needs to be replaced as well. I got a quote for both traditional and ductless Cost after rebates and tax credits are about the same, up front cost is $4k more for the ductless. Ductless should be much cheaper to run considering I don’t need to heat/cool two unused rooms.

I have another company coming out today for a second quote. Will get quote for both systems as well. And will get their opinion.

We do not have central air, got a quote for a couple ductless units, I think it was around $40,000. Sticking with window units.

How many room/splits is this for?

 

[mjkacmom]

Duct work needs to be replaced as well. I got a quote for both traditional and ductless Cost after rebates and tax credits are about the same, up front cost is $4k more for the ductless. Ductless should be much cheaper to run considering I don’t need to heat/cool two unused rooms.

I have another company coming out today for a second quote. Will get quote for both systems as well. And will get their opinion.




How many room/splits is this for?

It was 2.

 

[disneychrista]

It was 2.

Wow. My quote for 4 rooms was half that.

 

[tvguy]

We do not have central air, got a quote for a couple ductless units, I think it was around $40,000. Sticking with window units.

That seems crazy. A friend has rentals and when the HVAC dies he switches to ductless. His rule of thumb is one unit per room at a cost of $1,500 per room. So a 3 bedroom with a living room would need 4 units at a total cost of $6,000. Replacing the existing HVAC would run $10,000 to $12,000 so he does save money there.

 

[CGB]

We do not have central air, got a quote for a couple ductless units, I think it was around $40,000. Sticking with window units.

Wow! Granted, we did the basement more than 10 years ago, but it was nowhere near that. I want to say it was about $10-12K for the 3 units inside & the outside unit. It was comparable to replacing the regular HVAC system upstairs when it went out four years ago.

 

[disneychrista]

That seems crazy. A friend has rentals and when the HVAC dies he switches to ductless. His rule of thumb is one unit per room at a cost of $1,500 per room. So a 3 bedroom with a living room would need 4 units at a total cost of $6,000. Replacing the existing HVAC would run $10,000 to $12,000 so he does save money there.

Now that seems cheap compared to the quote I got yesterday. Like 1/3 of the quote I just got.

 

[disneychrista]

Second company came for a quote and the guy doesn't even think I can get a ducted system as there isn't enough space to replace the ducting with correct sized ductwork.

One more company is coming on Tuesday.

 

[robinb]

I am in the process of getting quotes to replace my HVAC system. What is your experience with ductless systems? Do you like? Do they work as well as central air? Did it lower your electric bill? What about the room units, how intrusive are they?

I’m thinking of getting one of these too. Our house was built in 1917 and we have radiators for heat. We have window units now which are a pain.

 

[disneychrista]

I’m thinking of getting one of these too. Our house was built in 1917 and we have radiators for heat. We have window units now which are a pain.

They are supposed to be super efficient. And much better than window units.

 

[_19disnA]

Standards for sealing and insulation were a lot different years ago when energy costs were lower. It would probably be a more cost-effective solution putting the money into upgrading the insulation and/or replacing the windows on any home built in 1917. The efficiency of the heating/cooling system won't mean much if the house isn't well insulated and/or has windows that seal poorly.

 

[jimmymc]

I like them, especially if you live somewhere where you don't need AC all year. The only downside is that the airflow isn't great, so you normally need to supplement with some fans.

 

[disneychrista]

I like them, especially if you live somewhere where you don't need AC all year. The only downside is that the airflow isn't great, so you normally need to supplement with some fans.

Need fan with current system as well. That’s why I have ceiling fans in the living room and bedroom.

 

[jimmymc]

Need fan with current system as well. That’s why I have ceiling fans in the living room and bedroom.

It's been hit or miss with different central air systems I've had. In my current house, no issues. But in my previous house, we needed a fan in every room upstairs or the air couldn't keep anything cool.

 

[The Mayor]

We looked into both when we were looking for central air and settled on the Mitsubishi mini split and are we glad we did!! We have two 9,000 BTU wall units that heat/cool our downstairs and a 9,000 BTU unit in the master bedroom and a 6,000 BTU unit in the two guest bedrooms. We’re on our third year with this system and can’t be any happier with it. The wall units are very quiet, even at the higher fan speed, and after a while they just blended in and we barely notice them. The big plus for us living in the northeast is that we can use it to heat the house in the winter. Over the past three winters we’ve cut our oil bill by approximately $2,000 per winter. Now to qualify that my city is a municipal electric so our electric bill is significantly lower than surrounding towns. My highest electric bill, running the units exclusively in the winter and summer, was $156. The picture below is one of the 9,000 BTU units in our downstairs.