The ‘Go Ductless For Heating’ Trend
Many Denver-Boulder homeowners know that ductless air conditioners are great for providing zoned cooling for parts or all of their homes, but did you know that ductless heat pumps are a great option for providing both heating and cooling in a similar, compact, quiet, unobtrusive package? While appearing almost identical to a ductless AC system, ductless heat pumps are even more versatile, capable of providing efficient, effective comfort to your home all year-round.
Why Ductless Heat Pumps?
Ductless heat pumps are also referred to as ‘mini-split’ heat pumps, or ductless mini-split heat pumps, and utilize electricity to generate heated or cooled air, just like whole-house central heat pumps. With the growing trend by utilities like Xcel Energy toward generating electricity for the grid from renewable sources such as solar and wind, this makes ductless systems a popular environmentally-friendly option as ‘renewable’ power generation continues its upward swing. Home photovoltaic (solar electric) systems further add to this desirable trend.
In addition to the ‘green’ traits of ductless systems, ductless heat pumps also provide the ability to ‘zone’ both heating and cooling around your home, enabling you to heat or cool just those areas that are being used, while energy is not expended conditioning the rest of the house. The result: More efficient operation with the zoning approach, using state-of-the-art high efficiency equipment, as well!
Much like ductless air conditioners, ductless heat pumps feature a compact, quiet, unobtrusive, modern-style indoor blower unit that is controlled by a hand-held thermostat which optionally can be mounted on the wall like a conventional control. The most popular residential indoor blower units are sleek, wall-mounted models, but there are also other configurations available such as ceiling and floor models, and models that can used with limited ducting systems. The outdoor units on ductless systems are as equally quiet, compact, and obtrusive as the indoor units.
Would a ductless system be a good fit for my home?
Ductless heat pumps offer:
- A home heating & cooling option with no direct reliance on fossil fuels
- High efficiency performance
- Quiet operation indoors and outside
- Unobtrusive, compact, modern-styled design
- A variety of convenient options
- Responsive, effective heating and cooling
- The ability to provide zoned heating and cooling in your home
Whole-Home Ductless Heating & Cooling
One of the growing trends in custom new home construction is to incorporate ductless heat pumps for year-round, zoned heating and cooling, in place of a traditional system. Existing homeowners are also beginning to convert central comfort systems to zoned ductless heating and cooling. This is an option well worth considering in cases where the existing system is unsatisfactory and the homeowner desires a more effective and/or zoned heating and cooling option.
Additional Benefits and Info.
An interesting fact about ductless systems is that the outdoor condensing units are about half the size of a conventional central AC or heat pump condensing unit, and are much, much quieter. We’ve actually had customers comment that the outdoor unit is so quiet that they weren’t sure if it was operating – when it absolutely was doing the job! On certain models of ductless heat pump systems, one outdoor condensing unit is capable of powering several indoor blower units, keeping the outdoor equipment footprint extremely compact and the low operating sounds well-contained.
With improvements in heat pump technology, as well as the general trend toward milder winter temperatures, heat pump systems can provide effective, efficient heating for Denver-Boulder homes. Some models can supply highly effective heating even when outdoor temperatures hit -15 degrees F!
Denver-Boulder Home Comfort Services
Save Home Heat Company has been installing ductless systems for over 25 years. In the Denver-Boulder area, you can count on our experience and expertise to match you and your home with a ductless heat pump system that you’ll be pleased with. If ductless isn’t the best match for your home, we’re always prepared to offer other high quality options that our team feels will be a better fit for your needs.
Please contact me to schedule a free quote for a ductless system for my home!
