Looking for Air Conditioning Options for Older Homes?
If you own an older home, heating and cooling face additional challenges. Many homes that are older than 60 or 70 years have aging equipment, and some don’t even have an air duct system installed. To make matters even more complicated, some older homes have thin walls and floors, which makes installing new ducts difficult, or even impossible.
If this is the situation with your home, you may be stressed and think there’s no way to get the relief you need when summer temperatures soar and you find yourself struggling to beat the heat. But thanks to modern technology, this difficulty may be a thing of the past. Ductless heating and air conditioning systems give you the ability to cool your home reliably and effectively without needing a duct network installed, which means no major remodels on your home and a significantly lower cost.
Here are some of the reasons why ductless cooling may be the perfect choice for an older home.
- Ease of installation: a ductless cooling system is extremely easy to install—all you need to do is cut a hole in your wall. For mini-split units, this hole is small, about the size of a tennis ball, which gives just enough room for refrigerant and electrical lines to run through. For all-in-one units, the hole is bigger. But both systems function particularly well, and both holes are completely sealed when the process is done.
- Zoning capability: because these systems only control the climate in one room in your home, you only have to turn on the ones in the rooms you’re actually using. When each of these units uses only a small fraction of the energy that a central cooling system does, that means you’ll save energy and money over a central heating and cooling system.
- Modern technology: Modern ductless systems give you the ability to link multiple units together and control them from the comfort of your tablet or smartphone. Never have to worry about getting up, going into the other room, and turning systems on or off. You can even coordinate the systems to work on a programmed timer as well, adjusting the temperature based on time of the day and day of the week for best results! Plus, these systems often feature whisper-quiet motors and fans for nearly-silent operation.
- Low cost: A single ductless system costs only a small fraction of what a new central heating and cooling system does, which means you can purchase several systems for all of the main rooms in your home and still save money! Because you won’t have to completely remodel your home to install air ducts or update the ones you currently have for a new system, installation of ductless systems becomes even more affordable!
How Much Does Ductless AC Cost?
How much does a ductless cooling system cost? Well, it depends on what model you get, but many high-end models cost less than $2,000, and most systems have price tags that are below the $1,000 mark. When you compare this to the cost of anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000 for a brand new central cooling system not including the cost of ductwork, it’s easy to see why ductless systems are the perfect solution for so many owners of older homes.
Talk to one of our St. Paul air conditioning experts about your ductless cooling options by contacting HomeWorks today!