For many people, owning an older home is like owning a piece of history. If the walls could talk, theyandrsquo;d tell stories of world events as they happened and generations that have long since passed. However, while many people are drawn to the appeal of an older home, those people are often well aware of the extra quirks and unique qualities that come with owning one of them. For starters, many of these older homes were not built with modern technology in mind and in some cases, that might include the comfort of central heating and air conditioning.
Older homes in particular struggle with being retrofitted for central HVAC systems because they often donandrsquo;t have the space to run air ducts. With so little space between floors, narrow walls and other barriers, some homes simply canandrsquo;t have central heating and cooling installed without significant remodeling that can tear away much of the old-world charm that makes these homes so appealing.
However, in situations like this, ductless HVAC systems may be the perfect choice. Just because you bought a home from the old world doesnandrsquo;t mean you have to live like it - and with a ductless system, you donandrsquo;t have to. In this blog, weandrsquo;ll explain a few of the advantages that make ductless HVAC systems the perfect choice for those with older and historic homes.
No Need for Air Ducts
Arguably the biggest benefit ductless systems have for older homes is that they donandrsquo;t depend on a large network of air ducts running to all of the various rooms of your home in order to keep it warm or cool. Like the name implies, ductless systems donandrsquo;t use ducts, but instead just send the air they produce directly to the room in which they are located. On one hand, this means they produce less conditioned air than a central system but on the other, the smaller size means they are great for heating or cooling just a single room. Buying a system of several of these ductless systems can keep your home comfortable without the costly and potentially charm-eliminating remodel.
Lower Costs
Ductless systems are great for older home owners because they keep costs down. For starters, buying one of these systems is significantly cheaper than buying a new central heating and cooling system by an order of magnitude. Even a large home can get a ductless system for every room for less than half of the cost of installing a new, comparable central heating and cooling system - and thatandrsquo;s a huge benefit.
On top of that, because these systems give you the ability to control the temperature in each room with precision, as well as the ability to shut off units in rooms you arenandrsquo;t using, they consume way less energy than a central system does. And that saves you plenty of money as well. And all this saving is great for older home owners who know just how often they find themselves fixing issues that pop up.
Great Energy Efficiency
As we stated before, a series of ductless heating and cooling systems gives you the ability to choose which units are on, which are off and which ones you are going to use at any given time. Not going to be using the one in your office anytime soon? Shut it off and save the energy. Almost everyone has different temperature preferences when going to bed. Now, you can set your own temperature and also shut off the units in the rest of the home and youandrsquo;ll only pay to heat or cool the rooms youandrsquo;re using at any given time.
Modern Features
Many people think of ductless heating and cooling systems as the large, obtrusive boxes from many years ago which made a ton of noise and didnandrsquo;t really work all that well. Todayandrsquo;s units are anything but their predecessors. Modern units are whisper-quiet and use specialized fans and motors that make as little noise as possible while heating or cooling your home. They also have features like wi-fi connectivity, automatic timers and energy readouts for precise control and comfort. By going the ductless route, youandrsquo;re not sacrificing all of the modern comforts and features that a central heating and cooling system can offer.
Find out more about outfitting your older or historic home with a ductless HVAC network! Call the San Jose heating and cooling experts at Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical and Solar at (408) 868-5500.