It’s hot in your Hampton Roads home, but can you afford to turn on the air conditioner? When the summer temperatures and humidity arrive here in Virginia, your cooling system is often the only source of relief from the sweat and the soupy air. However, if your cooling system is an inefficient or poorly-maintained air conditioner, keeping your home at a comfortable temperature can feel like filling up at a gas pump in 2022 – too darn expensive!
At Worley’s, we pride ourselves on finding the right cooling systems for your home — whether that is a new AC unit or a system of connected ductless mini splits. Here is what you need to know about finding the right cooling system for your needs.
Updates in Air Conditioning
For many homeowners throughout Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Norfolk, Gloucester, Yorktown, and Chesapeake, their air conditioning is just the temperature setting on a tiny thermostat screen. The only thime they remember that their air conditioning includes a lot of machinery both inside and outside of their home is when the cooling bills get too high or the cold air stops coming out of the vents.
As central air conditioners age, they begin to lose efficiency. This loss in efficiency can also be exacerbated by leaky central ductwork, lack of proper maintenance, and a poorly insulated or leaky home. In some cases, like when there is added square footage to a home’s original floorplan, an AC unit may even be undersized for the cooling load, leading to a rapid decline in performance and increased cooling costs. Fortunately, there is a more efficient way to keep your home cool – using ductless mini splits and heat pumps.
What Is a Ductless Mini Split?
Ductless mini splits, also known as ductless heat pumps, can be added to an existing cooling system or used as a replacement for whole-home cooling. They utilize heat pump technology and an efficient process of moving heat between the indoors and outdoors, depending on your needs. Ductless mini splits run completely on electricity and provide the same cold air you expect from an air conditioner, but in the winter they can also provide the heat you need to stay warm — all while using less energy.
A ductless mini split includes an indoor air handler and an outdoor compressor unit (which looks similar to a regular AC compressor most homeowners are familiar with), and the two are connected via a refrigerant line.
Ductless Mini Splits for Supplemental Cooling
Perhaps your air conditioner is still in good shape, but you have one area of the home that needs some extra cooling help, like in a bonus room or recently finished garage. Installing a ductless mini split provides climate control in that previously unconditioned space, without having to pay the added expense and hassle of installing more ductwork or upgrading to a bigger AC unit.
Ductless Mini Splits for Whole Home Cooling
If you are looking to bring the efficiency and convenience of heat pumps to your entire home, multiple indoor ductless mini split air handlers can be connected to a single compressor for whole home comfort that is separated into “zones”. This kind of system can reduce the fights over thermostat settings, and ensures each zone maintains the perfect temperature for your comfort (and your monthly budget).
Why Heat Pumps or Ductless Mini Splits?
So what are some of the advantages of a ductless mini split? Mini splits are more than just a replacement for your current air conditioner – you’ll see, feel, and enjoy a number of benefits from a mini split system, including:
- Lower energy use year round
- Increased indoor air quality
- No need for ductwork
- A smaller carbon footprint (good for Virginia, and good for the planet!)
Upgrade Your Cooling System with Worley’s Home Services
Curious if mini splits are noisy, or if mini splits are expensive to run? How will a mini split compare to your current AC unit? Get answers to all of these questions and more when you trust the AC contractor near you that can get the job done right from the get-go. Worley’s Home Services can assess your home’s cooling needs, and find a cooling solution that will satisfy your long term comfort needs, while also keeping your monthly energy costs as low as possible.
