I love the unique charm of my older home.
It features the original hardwood floors, moldings, doors and banisters. The big windows allow in a great deal of sunlight and offer a lovely view but also leak air. The high ceilings trap heat and cause temperature stratification. The ductwork was designed before multiple renovations were completed. The layout of the supply and return vents doesn’t accommodate the current floorplan properly. For several years, we struggled with the upstairs bedrooms feeling overheated and sticky and the living room feeling chilly. With a single thermostat, there was no way to target specific rooms. I looked into updating to zone control, but the ductwork couldn’t support it. There was no way my husband and I were willing to destroy the architectural integrity of our home by tearing down walls and ceilings and installing a whole new duct system. I finally got tired of using window air conditioners, box fans and portable electric heaters to compensate. I did some research and discovered ductless heat pumps. This provided the ideal solution. A ductless system consists of an outdoor compressor that links by way of a slender conduit to multiple indoor air handlers. The installation required little more than a three-inch hole in an exterior wall and created no mess or disruption. The air handlers are lightweight, compact and mounted up high on the wall, They operate quietly and provide both heating and cooling. Because each air handler features an independent thermostat, we’re able to customize the temperature in each individual room. The ductless system allows zone control, provides energy efficient performance and has significantly improved the comfort of the home.