In this podcast episode, John Maher and Jesse Corso from N.E.T.R., Inc. discuss the benefits of ductless systems compared to traditional window AC units. Jesse highlights the superior efficiency, quieter operation, and additional features like heating and dehumidification offered by ductless mini-splits. He explains how ductless systems provide better air circulation and personalized comfort by controlling individual room temperatures. Jesse also details the installation process, which is hassle-free and permanent, unlike the seasonal setup of window units. The conversation covers the long-term cost benefits, especially when replacing multiple window units with a multi-zone ductless system, and how ductless technology maintains temperature more efficiently through its inverter-driven design.
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 our topic is ductless systems versus window AC units.
Welcome, Jesse.
Jesse Corso: Hi, John. How are you?
How do Ductless Mini-Split Systems Compare to Window AC Units?
John: Good, thanks. So Jesse, in terms of cooling a single room efficiently, how did ductless mini-split systems compare to window units? And are there any advantages in terms of air circulation and noise level, things like that?
Jesse: Yeah, so I would say there’s a lot of advantages with ductless over window ACs. Three big ones that come to mind would be the operation costs. Ductless units are super-efficient compared to an old plugin window AC. Noise operation, so every time a window AC comes on in somebody’s living room they’re turning up the TV to a higher volume. Noise is big because ductless units are whisper quiet compared to window ACs.
John: And is that just because the condenser unit is on the outside of the house as opposed to being right there in the window?
Jesse: You’re absolutely right. Yeah. So the condenser that houses the compressor that makes all the noise is split. It’s a split system, so it’s farther away. It’s on the outside of the house. It’s somewhere where you are not. With a window AC, those are right there attached to the window AC, right there in your window. So that’s one big reason why the noise is far different with a ductless unit.
Also, most ductless units these days have heating capability. As far as I know, window ACs don’t offer the heating capability, and most ductless units nowadays have some sort of heating capability with them.
What About Heating Options with Ductless Systems?
John: Even though you might be installing it mainly for the air conditioning in the summer, you get that advantage of maybe being able to turn on the heat in the spring and the fall or even the winter and supplement your heating in your house.
Jesse: Yep. Spring, fall, wintertime, supplement your existing heat, even just peace of mind backup up to your existing heat. If your heat was to ever go down one day, you’re not dead in the water, you’d have something.
Do Ductless Units Do Better with Air Circulation?
John: Did ductless units do better in terms of air circulation and just cooling down the whole room as well?
Jesse: Yeah, I mean, I would say the fans, they probably move more air. I would say the ductless units probably move more CFM than a typical window AC would. And especially if you’re putting a remote thermostat on that unit and you’re putting it somewhere else, sensing temperature in the other part of the room you’ll get a more comfortable, feel more comfortable average temperature than just having a window AC in there.
What Other Advantages do Ductless Systems Offer?
John: Okay. Beyond just cooling, you mentioned that they can also do heat. Are there other types of advantages or features that ductless systems have that a window AC unit wouldn’t?
Jesse: Well, window ACs, let’s see, they still have air filters in there. We have air filters in our ductless units, so it’s similarity. But they obviously have the heat mode that I was telling you about. But they have a dry mode too, where they’re looking to not necessarily make the room super cold, but the ductless units are looking to bring that moisture out of the air, bring the humidity down in the space, which is a big difference compared to a window AC.
John: And then, like you said, they have some sensors on them as well that can sense the temperature across the room and things like that. So probably your comfort level in the room is going to be a little bit better. Don’t some of the units have little sensors that can tell where there’s a person in the room too, and aim the vents toward that person?
Jesse: So, one manufacturer we work with, their deluxe style indoor unit has, it’s a motion sensor or a 3DIC sensor they call it. It can sense occupancy, it can sense heat signatures in the room, aim airflow towards the heat signature, aim airflow away from the heat signature. Yeah, that’s a nice feature for that deluxe system.
How are Ductless Systems Installed?
John: And then talk a little bit about the installation process for ductless systems. Obviously for people who use window air conditioning units, every spring they’re lugging those AC units out of their closets or their attic or basement or something like that and they’re getting them installed in their windows. If they have multiple ones of those, that can take a long time. It can be backbreaking work as well. Those things are heavy. Talk about a little bit the installation process of a ductless system and then what people might or might not need to do moving forward as the seasons change.
Jesse: So, I’ve definitely felt the pain of lugging window ACs in and out twice a year, putting it in once, taking it out once, smashing up the windowsill, smashing up the doorway, breaking your back. So with a ductless unit, the installation is one and done. So it can be as little as a one day installation if you’re doing a little single zone unit. But once it’s installed, it’s permanently installed. It’s not coming out after the summertime’s over it. It’s there to stay. After the installation, annual maintenance is recommended if you get using it for heating and cooling, maybe a twice a year maintenance, something like that. But there’s no and re-installation of the unit. It’s a one and done thing, like I said, as quick as one day. And then just annual maintenance after that would be the key.
John: And then the ductless units have a filter in them as well. Can a person at home clean or change those filters themselves too?
Jesse: They have washable filters, so you don’t have to replace them yearly. You can take them out, hose them off outside and with the garden hose or hose them off in the sink, dry them off real quick and then just reinstall them. Could do that a couple times a year would be nice. Keeping the filters clean. If you could do that for us, that’d be great.
Annual Maintenance on Ductless AC Units
John: But you want to do that in addition to having the professionals come in and do a yearly maintenance cleaning where they’re actually more thoroughly cleaning it and also cleaning the outdoor unit as well. Right?
Jesse: Yep. An annual maintenance for us would look like changing the filter or not changing them, washing the filters, blowing out the drain line, cleaning the outside condenser free of pollen, checking the electrical connections, checking refrigerant levels, checking amperage, checking discharge, air temperature. So there’s a lot more that goes into our annual maintenance than just washing the air filters.
Multi-Room Cooling Options with Ductless Systems
John: And then just talk a little bit about multi-room cooling needs. I might have a house where I have to install three or four window air conditioners in order to really cool my house. How does that differ from maybe a multi-zone ductless system?
Jesse: If you get into a multi-zone ductless system and you’re getting rid of three to four window ACs that you were previously running and you’re going to one outside condenser in a three to four zone ductless system, I think it’s pretty safe to say you’re going to decrease your electricity consumption, decrease that electricity bill in the summertime. We can operate more efficiently than multiple, multiple window ACs. But now what I will say is if you’re using maybe just one window AC now, and then you go ahead and you get ductless units for 2000 square feet, that might not be so comparable. If you’re just using one tiny little window, now you’re going ahead and air conditioning in the whole house. So I guess that all depends on really how many ACs you’re using, window ACs you’re offsetting.
John: So, if you’re bumping up from a 500 BTUs, small unit and all of a sudden you’ve got 2000 BTUs or 3000 BTUs in your house, you might be using more energy, but on the other hand, you’re going to be more comfortable as well because now you’re going to be really able to cool that house down and not just have that one unit.
Jesse: Of course. Yeah. I mean, if you’re doing 2000 square feet with window ACs, then you go to 2000 square feet being cooled with mini-splits, we’re going to be more efficient all day. If you’re cooling a 200 square feet with a window AC and now you’re cooling 2000 square feet with mini-splits, so it’s not so comparable, but you’re certainly more comfortable.
How Do the Ductless Systems Work?
John: Right. And that’s because the ductless systems have this inverter driven system where rather than the window AC units, all they do is they just run it 100% and then they shut off, and then they run it 100% and then they shut off on and off to keep the room at a certain temperature. But a ductless system will lower the amount of electricity that it’s using and slow down to just sort of maintain that temperature consistently. Right?
Jesse: Yep, yep. The ductless systems they’re variable speed. So what that means, it’s kind of like the throttle on a car, they’re only going to run or drive as fast or operate as fast as you want it to. So the throttle on the car is infinite position, infinite amount of speeds, as much as you need to go, as fast as you need to go. Similar to a ductless outside compressor, it’s inverter driven, variable speed, infinite range of speeds and capacity.
John: Right. So you’re not doing that starting and stopping thing. That’s why on the highway when you’re driving with a car, you get better gas mileage than you do in the city, because in the city you just stop, go stop, go. But on the highway you’re just maintaining a certain speed and that’s a lot more efficient.
Jesse: Yeah, it’s actually a really good comparison. So in the city, starting, stopping, gas mileage goes down on the highway. Cruise control, gas mileage goes up. Similar situation with our systems. Yeah, that’s a good comparison.
John: Okay. All right, well that’s really great information, Jesse. Thanks again for speaking with me today.
Jesse: Thanks for having me.
John: And for more information, you can visit the website at netrinc.com or call 781-933-NETR. That’s 781-933-6387.
