Ducted vs. Ductless Heat Pumps: How To Choose
The air is getting cooler and your home temperature is starting to drop. Days are getting shorter and you’re ready to upgrade your heating system. You have a big decision to make before you install a new heat pump for your house. Standard heat pumps run using ducting and traditional ventilation. On the other hand you have an alternative model to this well-known method of monitoring heat: a ductless mini split model that sends air into rooms through a series of air handling units. Which option you choose depends on your personal circumstances, but we can say for sure that it is always the best option to have professionals determine which solution is right for you. Schedule an appointment with a consultant to determine the best route for you. Below we’ll look at some of the reasons why someone may want to go with a standard ventilation system or the ductless mini split model.
Benefits of Traditional Ducting System
For starters, your home already has ducts. If you are planning on working with what you already have in place, going with a traditional ducting system makes sense and is going to be a good option. You can connect a new heat pump to the existing ducts without doing any major renovation. By using traditional ducting, you have improved air circulation around your home. Standard heat pumps are powerful at providing your home with even air flow to maintain a constant comfortable temperature. Ductless systems can often leave the air in the rooms unmoved and stagnant. Another benefit of using your homes original ducting systems and hooking up a traditional heat pump is that you don’t have to deal with the bulky wall mount that comes with a ductless system. The air handlers require mounting on the wall of the rooms they’re in which sometimes is not preferred. This is a solely aesthetic decision and has little to do with function and more to do with cosmetics. If you prefer an HVAC system that is entirely hidden, using a ductwork system is going to be your best option.
Benefits of a Ductless Heat Pump
If you’re going to be renovating or if there’s going to be new construction going on, going with a ductless system offers you much greater design freedom. They are much less bulky as they require a single system mount as opposed to a system of ducts through the rooms in your home. Another thing to consider with standard ducting systems is allergens and asthma concerns. Although ducted systems have better circulation, they collect and circulate dust and air pollutants. Unless you are getting them regularly cleaned they are likely passing those allergens throughout your home contributing to respiratory discomfort. Ductless heat pumps don’t have these issues as they collect much less dust in their localized areas. Each air handler in a ductless system runs separately from the others. This means you get zone control over the air in your entire home. Over the years this will save you immensely in energy costs.
Air Conditioning
