Ok, so rewind one more time. We bought our 1400 sq. ft. cape cod in Atlanta two years ago, and while we knew the homes HVAC system had been replaced 11 years prior, we knew the system (compressor and furnace) was getting up there in age. It should also be noted that we never bought this home due to it's 'remodeled' claims. We knew we still had a fixer upper on our hand, and while we love the challenge of that, the real reason we bought the house is because we were in love with the location. So, we knowingly went into this house knowing we would need to do some major changes. We bought during the winter months and what we quickly realized is that our upstairs (a converted attic space), would get smoldering hot, while our downstairs would be quite chilly. In the summer, the upstairs wouldn't cool at all. Like at all! So, we naively thought our home just needed a more powerful compressor (that big thing that sits outside the house). And thought at most it would be a few thousand dollar upgrade. Well, we couldn't have been more wrong. About a year ago, we had an HVAC specialist come out. It was then that we understood that getting adequate heating and cooling to both the downstairs and upstairs of our house, wasn't that simple. Initially we thought we could do one of three things.
1. Buy a new condenser, and install a damper (which would allow us to zone upstairs and downstairs). Pro, it meant only one condenserneeded. Con, it meant we would need to install a new air handler which would be more money.
2. We could separately zone upstairs and downstairs with individual condenser. Pro, this would allow separate thermostats and individual control of both spaces. Cons, two condenser meant double the cost, in addition re-ducting would need to happen which meant even more money. Plus, our homes upstairs (approx. 500 sq. ft), realistically was too small for this option to financially make sense.
3. Keep our system downstairs and install Ductless upstairs.
Ok, are you confused yet? Because I sure was!
Now, until this time, we hadn't really heard a lot about Ductless HVAC. When we were looking to buy our second house, we saw similar cape cod homes with a ductless 'minisplit' upstairs and regular / traditional ducted hvac downstairs. At that time I HATED the look of these ductless units. They were big, clunky and aesthetically not pleasing. I made the choice then and there that ductless was not an option!
So, at that time (about a year ago), we decided to put the issue on the back burner. Our current system was still working. Obviously, not efficiently, but because we really weren't using the upstairs (really only when guests visited), we figured this was a problem and cost for another time).
Fast forward to our bathroom renovation. Once the walls were gutted, we came across an 8" duct that brought air from downstairs to upstairs. That thing was placed in such an awkward place (ideally where we would put new plumbing) and was taking up much needed room in the walls. But, moving it elsewhere proved to be a challenge. Plus, we were told it was actually too small and needed to be at least 10" in order to properly bring enough air flow to upstairs. That meant we would need to widen the wall, and in a room that we were trying to expand, that really wasn't an option we wanted to hear.
So, that's when Brian and I really started looking into ductless as being a solution for upstairs. We would get the heating and cooling we needed up there, plus it would allow us to remove this 8" duct from the bathroom wall. Win! Win!
Well, again, not so fast! First it should be noted, that at this point, I thought Ductless was truly that. A large wall unit that plugs in and ta da ~ you're done!
So, here's the thing with ductless mini-splits. The heads cost anywhere from $1,000-$2,000+ each, but they still need a condenser (which can cost anywhere from $2,000-$6,000+). And access to it. Meaning, they still need a power line, refrigerant line and drain line to come out of the main head and connect to the condenser.
So, WHY EVEN GO WITH DUCTLESS MINI SPLITS?
Well, for starters, they're VERY Energy Efficient. (Our power bill averages at $150 a month, by replacing our entire house to ductless, we've been promised that our bill will drop to $35-$50 a month. That's some BIG savings!) And while ductless minisplits still need a condenser and lines to run to it, those lines take up minimal space (they nicely pack into a 4-6" tube) and go on the outside of your house rather than in the walls. Meaning there's no need for ANY ductwork in your walls, house, basement and or crawlspace.
Also, these ductless minisplits, offer both AC and Heating, and don't need a furnace to provide for that! Again, that's another unit and cost that's not needed to operate these things!
So, about a month ago, we decided we'd upgrade the upstairs to a ductless unit ($4,000-$5,000 total) and leave our current situation downstairs...hoping to get a few more years out of it before needing a new condenser and furnace (which would be approx $6,000 to replace). All in, we were hoping to have our entire house updated for around $10,000.
Two weeks ago, is when we called in HVAC specialists (we ended up using HomeDepot's recommended service provider ARS, and have been so happy with the install and customer service!) They first came over to specifically quote the job and get the ball rolling.
Right out the gate our specialist was pushing (and I mean pushing) for ductless minisplits throughout our ENTIRE house. Now until, then, I really only thought we'd do it for upstairs. He kept telling us our house was the PERFECT candidate for using ALL ductless minisplits. His reasons...
