A lot of homes have areas that are hard to heat and cool. In our home, our master bedroom has high ceilings, which make it a wonderful room to spend time in, but it also makes it harder to keep at an optimal temperature. It always seems to be either too hot in the summer or too cool in the Winter for perfect comfort. This means we are regularly having battles in the house over the thermostat, with the “comfort wing” advocating for turning on and cranking the thermostat up or down, while the “Save Money Party” has been known to say thing like “Just put on a sweater” and “It’s not that hot- I thought you liked it hot” in response.
The main problem with hot and cold spots can be caused simply by physics, with hot air rising naturally, lack of airflow throughout a house, inadequate insulation, design of the home and construction. In other words, it could be one or a multitude of reasons, but the upshot is that many folks spend more money than necessary trying to achieve comfort. They may decide to simply avoid certain areas of their home, or try one-off solutions like a fan, window air conditioner, or space heater to help out. These solutions can be expensive to run and noisy, which can also reduce the enjoyment of your home.
We’re seeing more and more folks start to install ductless heat pump systems in their home, like Mitsuibishi’s Hyperheat system. These systems don’t require your home to have a central heat or air conditioning system, but they can work with whatever your current heating and cooling solution is to achieve pinpoint comfort in those hard to cool areas, ranging from master bedrooms, bonus rooms, sun porches, and breakfast rooms that are often sunny, inviting areas of the home, but can easily get hot and uncomfortable as well. The ductless systems add the option to cool and heat an area with the touch of a button, and do so quietly- one of our customers described it as whisper quiet- 19 db (decibels). To compare, the sound of someone breathing from a meter away is usually 25 db, a normal fan often runs 30-35 db and most window air conditioners, if installed properly, are around 50 db, and normal conversation is usually 60-65 db. Ductless units can also cool a larger area than window air conditioners for the same BTU rating, based on its efficiency as a heat pump system.
Better yet, the technology used in the ductless systems are incredibly energy efficient and qualify for substantial rebates available through the New Jersey Clean Energy program. The Mitsubishi ductless systems are cheaper to operate than traditional air conditioning units. This makes adding comfort to your home an affordable investment that saves you money on installation as well as the savings every month in energy bills.
If you have areas of your home that are hard to cool and heat, consider looking into the ductless “mini-split” solutions available to create additional zones of comfort within your home. Besides adding unprecedented comfort with pinpoint control just where you need it, you’ll save money by not having to heat or cool the full rest of the house to get the comfort you need right where you need it.
