Traditional central air conditioners use the existing ductwork in your home to blow cooled air throughout all rooms equipped with vents. 
But what about homes that don’t have built-in ductwork? Or spaces such as attics or cellars that are being converted into usable space? Installing post-construction ductwork is not only expensive and time-consuming, but can be unattractive and disruptive.
For many people, a better option are Ductless Mini-Splits, or ductless air conditioning systems.
How Ductless Ductless Mini-Splits Work
Like a central air conditioning system, a ductless AC system or Ductless Mini-Split relies on a compressor and condenser that typically are located outside the structure. This is because these mechanical devices tend to be noisy and bulky, but rather than having a huge fan blow cooled air into the ductwork, a Ductless Mini-Split AC system pumps refrigerant through copper tubing that is connected to wall-mounted blowers in the rooms you want cooled. The refrigerant cools the air in the blowers, which then circulate the cool air down into the rooms.
Benefits of Ductless Mini-Split AC Systems
The biggest benefit of a ductless AC system is that it is much easier and affordable to retrofit into an existing structure that doesn’t already have ductwork in place. It also doesn’t require a basement or attic-based evaporator unit.
Ductless Mini-Split AC units are ideal for cooling attics, basements or other areas that are being reclaimed as a usable living or working space.
Because each wall-mounted blower is separate, Ductless Mini-Splits can be used to create different temperature zones within the same home. Or they can be turned off completely when not needed. This eliminates the cost of overcooling a structure, an expensive problem that is common with central air conditioning systems.
Another benefit is that Ductless Mini-Splits work in reverse when the weather is colder outside, absorbing heat from the outside air and distributing it throughout the interior rooms to provide heat.
More Efficient than Central AC
Ductless Mini-Splits are much more efficient than central air systems, which can lose as much as much as 30% of their cool air through air leaks and conduction in the ductwork. Ductless AC Systems pump refrigerant directly to the in-room blowers through insulated copper tubing, resulting in 25% greater efficiency.
Ductless systems use inverter-driven, variable speed compressors that can be run at higher or lower speeds, depending on the temperature demands. So the system can ramp up or down without significant losses in operating efficiency, unlike central air systems that draw the same amount of power every time they cycle on and off.
In fact, some Ductless Mini-Split systems are so efficient that some local utility companies offer customers rebates of up to $1,500 for upgrading to a ductless system, and federal residential energy tax credits may also be available for some EnergyStar designated models.
Double the Duty, Double the Value
Because Ductless Mini-Splits can supplement your home heating in the winter, they offer twice the value as central air, which does nothing to help your home during the cold weather months.
Ductless Mini-Splits generally cost between $3,000 and $5,000 to install, depending on the make and model and the number of rooms where you plan to use it. Plus, keep in mind that some of that cost may be recoverable through utility refunds or state or federal tax credits, depending where you live.
That makes them not just a great way to keep your home or business cool, but also a better value than central air conditioning.