In this podcast episode, John Maher and Jesse Corso from N.E.T.R., Inc. discuss the differences between ductless systems and central air conditioning. Jesse highlights the advantages of ductless systems, such as individual room temperature control and the absence of efficiency loss through ductwork. They address common issues with central air, like uneven cooling and improper duct sizing, and how ductless systems can provide better solutions. Jesse explains factors to consider when deciding between ductless and central air for homes with existing ductwork. The episode also covers the expected lifespan and maintenance costs of both systems, emphasizing the benefits of personalized comfort with ductless solutions.
John Maher: Hi, I am John Maher, and I’m here today with Jesse Corso, comfort consultant with N.E.T.R., Inc., a heating and cooling company in Massachusetts with a focus on ductless heating and cooling products. Today we’re talking about ductless systems versus central air conditioning. Welcome, Jesse.
Jesse Corso: Hi, John. Thanks for having me.
Is there an Advantage to Cooling with a Ductless System Compared to Central Air?
John: Sure. So Jesse, for a home that has existing duct work, is there a clear advantage in efficiency or cooling power between a central air conditioning system and a ductless system?
Jesse: Yeah, so if you have an existing home that has a central air system, you have existing ducts, stuff that goes along with that, typically you have one thermostat controlling the whole zone of air conditioning, you have duct loss. If your duct work’s going through the attic, you’re losing BTUs to the attic, or in the summertime when it’s 150 in your attic. You’re having a little bit of heat gain on that duct, losing a little efficiency running your air conditioning system. None of that is taken into consideration with a ductless system. If you have a couple rooms that maybe are uncomfortable, a couple rooms that are super cold, a couple rooms that are super hot, ductless can be a good way to individually control those zones and get the actual temperature you want in those spaces.
What are the Drawbacks of Central Air vs Ductless Systems?
John: Yeah, so talk a little bit more about that and some of the drawbacks maybe of a central air conditioning system versus a ductless system. What can ductless do better?
Jesse: I would say they can control individual rooms to individual temperatures much better than a ducted system. Typically, a central air system is one thermostat controlling the whole thing. Typically, those condensers outside are on and off, noisy, loud, not too efficient. And again, you have that efficiency loss through the duct work. If it’s in the attic or in the cold basement, you’re losing BTUs to that environment that the ducts are running through. And then with ducted systems, a lot of times what we see in the field is you may not even have the right size duct work or insulated duct work. It’s just not conducive to air conditioning. It might be too small, not moving enough air, so we can get rid of all those problems if we just switch to a ductless solution.
Are Typical Central Air Duct Systems Sized Properly
John: Right, so the duct work in your home might be really sized more for the heating system because maybe the more important thing. And then the air conditioning is just a little side thing that you added on to it, and so maybe the duct work is maybe not necessarily sized properly for the air conditioning.
Jesse: Right, right. We see a lot of homes that never had air conditioning. The ducts were put in for the heat, which doesn’t require as much air flow, doesn’t require insulation because the ducts won’t sweat if there’s no air conditioning on there. So sometimes they don’t make the best ducts for adding AC, or AC’s been added and it was just never really right from the get-go. We can get rid of all those problems.
How Does a Ductless System Solve Issues with Uneven Cooling?
John: Okay, and then if my home has really uneven cooling, like you said, you only have that one temperature control, so maybe that thermostat is in my living room, but then my bedrooms end up being freezing when the air conditioning is on. How can a ductless system address those types of problems?
Jesse: Yeah, so oftentimes one thermostat controls the one unit, air comes out of those registers everywhere unless you have a zone system. And even then it’s maybe two zones, three zones max. With ductless, you can control the individual temperature for each individual indoor unit that you put on the wall or in the space. So if you have four bedrooms upstairs, you can do a four zone mini-split, control each bedroom individually as far as temperature, whereas if you had a central AC system, now you’re running all four of those bedrooms on one thermostat. The thermostat only cares about the temperature of the space that it’s in, doesn’t care about the other rooms at all. So, you can really dial in the individual spaces.
Should I Choose Ductless AC Systems Even if I Already Have Ducts Installed?
John: Say I had a heating system with duct work and then I wanted to add air conditioning to my house. Does it make more sense to just go ahead and do central air since I have got the duct work or install a ductless system in addition to that ducted heating system that I have? Which way would you go there?
Jesse: That’s a good question. I would say it’s definitely require a site visit. That’s a case-by-case thing. You have to take into consideration when you’re adding AC to a central air system size of the ducts. Is the ducts going to move enough air that’s going to be needed for the AC? Are they insulated? Are they going to sweat all over the place if we put AC on there? Is there return air on the second floor? A lot of times in capes we see that there’s not even a return air grill on the second floor, so if you put AC on there, heat rises, so if there’s no return up there, there’s no way to suck air out of that second floor. It probably wouldn’t be very comfortable on the second floor versus that first floor in that scenario.
We would probably recommend switching to a ductless solution where we can do ductless units on that second floor, ductless units on the first, control the first floor separate from the second. It works out a lot of times much better than reusing existing ducts. I’m going to say more often than not, especially if there was never AC in the first place. Existing ducts are not great candidates for AC add-ons if you’re really looking at the true quality of that duct system.
What are the Expected Maintenance Costs of Ductless AC Systems?
John: And then just looking ahead maybe 10 or 15 years, what am I looking at in terms of expected maintenance costs, maybe the lifetime of a system of central air conditioning versus ductless? What’s maybe the best way to go there in terms of that long-term cost of operation?
Jesse: So, ductless is just like any other heating furnace or air conditioner. I would say 15 to 20 years is going to be the life expectancy, just like a central air conditioner would be 15 to 20 years. The manufacturers we work with, they provide a manufacturer’s warranty of 12 years, so it’s got to last longer than that or they wouldn’t warranty it, right?
John: Right.
Jesse: So, it’s got probably the same life expectancy as any other equipment out there. It’s going to require annual maintenance, but again, annual maintenance is even recommended on the furnaces, and they’re recommended on the air conditioners. So it’s got the same annual maintenance requirements as the unitary equipment you see out there, so I think it’s going to be very similar. The longevity is going to be similar time wise, and the maintenance costs going to be similar time wise.
John: Okay, so then it really does come down more to your comfort level and what works best for your home, whether or not you want to have that individual zoning control, and things like that that will determine which way you want to go.
Jesse: Exactly.
John: Yeah, all right. Well that’s really great information, Jesse. Thanks again for speaking with me today.
Jesse: Thanks for having me, John.
John: And for more information, you can visit the website at netrinc.com or call (781) 933-NETR. That’s (781) 933-6387.
