A Green Road Blog 

When it is time to replace or install a new air conditioner, consider the value and benefits of a split ductless air conditioner. The benefits are of this system are many and the drawbacks are few. For example, this kind of system can save you up to 30% on air conditioning costs, due to cooling only the areas that truly need cooling.

In addition, because in most cases there are no ducts, along with all of the inherent losses and leaks within the duct system, you will also gain that automatic efficiency from this ductless design.

The way this system works is to install a central unit outside, preferably in an area that is mostly or always shaded, in order to get another small percentage of efficiency.  This central unit is like the core of a central AC system in a standard home or commercial unit, as it includes a compressor and condenser.

The larger central unit is connected via refrigerant lines to smaller sized AC units placed within the residential or commercial structure. Each unit can be sized to cool a specific area and tailored to the need required, from 9,000 to 18,000 BTU. Generally, one outside central unit can handle up to four inside units.

Each indoor unit is placed high on the wall, in order to maximize the cooling effect, and each unit has it’s own programmable thermostat. Because ducts are ideally eliminated, all that is left to keep clean is the filter built into each indoor AC unit, thus increasing the health of the occupants, by not spreading germs, dust and more all through the house. Long term, duct leaks can amount to a 10% additional cost on an AC system, so this extra cost is permanently eliminated. T

These newer units most often come complete with a remote that controls all operations of the AC unit, making it easy to fine tune the comfort levels, or to turn it off, after getting into bed for example.

Hybrid systems are also possible, by combining partial ducts built against the corners of the ceilings (inside the living unit), along with a wall mounted unit. In this way, a hybrid split mini system works much like a window unit, but can handle several rooms at a time. One small unit can cool several rooms using this hybrid style of system.

Finally, the cost of a split mini AC system can be significantly less than a central AC unit, but sadly, all current split mini systems must be purchased from overseas.

American manufacturers (to their peril) are being forced to catch up the overseas efficiency and money saving gains that foreign home and business owners are enjoying, much like the US auto industry had to catch up with foreign competitors not that long ago. The price the US auto industry had to pay was that without government assistance, it could have completely disappeared. The AC industry in this country is facing that same potential dynamic, as these foreign competitors come into the US and market aggressively, while energy prices continue to climb.