DUCTLESS COOLING PROVIDES PERFECT COMFORT FOR STREAMWOOD, IL CONDO

It wasn’t long before the new owners of a condo in Streamwood, IL realized there was a problem: Their new home wasn’t nearly as cool as they wanted it in the summer. When we got there, we weren’t surprised at all to find out an old through-the-wall air conditioner wasn’t cutting it.

What they needed was a new ductless cooling system to get the comfort they wanted.

Now, the entire condo is always at the temperature they want. And, the new system is much quieter than the old one. But there’s more: Our homeowners also cut their electric bill in half. And, they managed to claim back some of their living space.

Problem: The hotel-style through-the-wall air conditioners in this Streamwood, IL condo did not provide enough cooling for the two bedrooms and main living area.

Solution: Installed a three-zone Hyper Heat outdoor unit with an indoor wall unit in each bedroom and a silver designer wall unit in the living room.

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Ductless cooling vs. through-the-wall air conditioning

These setups are often referred to as “mini-splits” since they have indoor and outdoor components. Both these parts play essential roles in making these systems work so well.

Like traditional AC, these mini-splits transferring heat from inside your home to outside while reducing humidity. But, there are some important differences.

Both use a refrigerant liquid that attracts heat to the system. Once that thermal energy reaches the AC, the unit releases it outside. At the same time, it dehumidifies the air. That makes your home much cooler.

What they needed was a new ductless cooling system to get the comfort they wanted.

But, the similarities stop there.

First of all, mini-splits do a much better job of circulating the air. They use indoor air handlers that mount on the wall. These can dehumidify a room better than a clunky old AC unit. And, it will measure the temperature better and provide just the right amount of cooling. What’s more, they’re whisper-quiet. Compare that to a loud window or wall unit AC. In some cases, it’s hard to have a conversation or watch TV when they’re working. Not so with a mini-split.

Air handlers are so quiet that unless you’re standing right underneath one, you’d never know it’s on.

Meanwhile, outside is a heat pump. That’s the part responsible for transferring thermal energy from inside to outside. It does this by using a refrigerant liquid to attract the heat in the house and send it outside. The best part is, this cycle of heating up the liquid and cooling it down once the heat is released happens mostly on its own. The heat pump just needs a little bit of electricity to run. We’ll get into why that’s important a little later.

Installing a mini-split in a condo

The first thing we noticed in this condo was that someone combined ductwork with a through-the-wall AC. The idea was to get the cooling effect to work in the bedrooms, not just the room with the unit. It didn’t really work well. But, the alternative would have been separate air conditioners in each room. That would have been expensive – and loud. We eliminated all this with the new mini-split. Now, there are air handlers in the two bedrooms and the living room.

These provide quiet, efficient cooling for each room. And, we didn’t need ductwork to connect them.

The other advantage is having zoned HVAC. This means each air handler takes care of a separate area of the house. They all have built-in thermostats so they can operate independently. Let’s say the master bedroom is a few degrees warmer than the living room. No problem! The air handler in there works a little more to get the right temperature. Meanwhile, the other two power down before their zones get too cold.

For the first time, the temperature was the same in every room. And, it was just where our homeowners wanted it.

For the bedrooms, we mounted the air handlers high on the wall and in line with the windows. This way, they blend in with the room. In the living room, we went with a silver designer model that fit the look of the room nicely.

Save money with ductless cooling

Our homeowners were happy to get rid of the ductwork and finally stay cool with their new, quiet, ductless cooling system. But there was another big benefit: They’re saving money in the process. Remember before when we mentioned the mini-split uses a lot less electricity? Well, the less energy it uses, the less our homeowners pay on their utility bills. In this case, that added up to a big difference.

The new system is Energy Star-certified. That means it uses less electricity to provide the same service as units that use much more power.

How much less electricity? Put it this way: their electric bill got cut in half. That’s right: They spend 50 percent less on energy in the summer than what they used to.

And, since the mini-split is Energy Star seal of approval, they got a break on the installation costs. That came thanks to their electric provider, ComEd.

Like many utilities today, ComEd offers rebates to homeowners who install new energy-efficient appliances. We made sure these condos owners applied.

They were glad they did: Their electric provider gave them a $1,000 rebate toward the cost of the new system.

That, plus the lower energy bills, means our homeowners are paying less for cooling than ever before. And, their condo is the most comfortable it’s ever been!

Are you ready to replace the old, inefficient cooling system in your condo? Contact us, and we’ll design a system that’s perfect for you!

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