Using Ductless Mini-Splits to Create Zones

One advanced HVAC option that’s proven popular with Colonial Heights, VA homeowners in recent years is ductless mini-splits. Among other benefits, mini-split systems make it easy to implement zones for more versatile and precise heating and cooling control.

The Basics of Ductless Mini-Splits

The central idea behind ductless mini-splits is both simple and brilliant. Instead of central heating and cooling that’s distributed through ductwork, each mini-split unit heats and cools the air directly. They can be mounted virtually anywhere and require just a small conduit to link to the main outdoor unit. Most mini-splits are also heat pumps, so they can deliver both heating and cooling in a single package.

How Does Zoning Work?

Since mini-splits can be mounted nearly anywhere and controlled independently, these systems are perfect for instituting zoned heating and cooling. This simply means dividing your home into discrete “zones” and controlling the conditions of each one separately. A zone can be a room, a level of your home or just a particular area you’d like to control individually. Zoning can even be used as a supplement to smooth out the performance of an existing central HVAC system.

Advantages of HVAC Zoning

The main reason many homeowners love zoning is that it offers unparalleled flexibility and customization. One person’s idea of “comfort” is often different from the next, but zoning allows everyone to have their way. If you love the heat and someone else in your family prefers to keep it cool, why not have both? It’s also a great way to improve efficiency by choosing where and when to expend heating and cooling energy. As an added bonus, it eliminates the significant amount of waste that’s typically lost to leaky air ducts.

With so much flexibility and energy-saving potential, it’s not hard to see why ductless mini-splits have become so popular. To see what you’ve been missing, check out Foster Plumbing & Heating’s ductless HVAC services.