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It was time for our homeowner in York, Pa to give his home office an upgrade. For years, he’d worked out of his third-floor bedroom-turned-workspace a few days a week. But, like so many people, he uses it pretty much full-time now. And, it had some major limitations.
First, it got chilly in the winter, although sometimes it wasn’t too bad: Except for the coldest days of January and February, sometimes the chill kept him awake and alert! The summers, however, were downright brutal.
With no central air, he relied on a window air conditioner in the summer. But, the third floor gets much hotter than downstairs. Plus, all the electronics notched things up a few degrees. And that AC was loud. He’d have to turn it off for phone calls and Zoom meetings, leaving him uncomfortable. And, when it was on, it sucked up a lot of electricity.
Now that he planned to use the space a lot more, he needed to make it more comfortable., But, he didn’t want to invest in central air and didn’t know how to magically make his forced-air heat system suddenly treat this room better.
When he called us at Air Comfort Technologies, he didn’t know what he would want. After talking with him and seeing the room, we had just the right solution.
In this case study, we’ll talk about:
- Why Third-Floor Rooms Are Hard To Heat And Cool
- Mitsubishi Mini-Split For A Home Office
- Installing Ductless Heating And Cooling
And, if you want to learn more about how to make your York, PA home more comfortable year-round, call or email us at Air Comfort Technologies for a free virtual or in-person consultation.
Four Big Benefits of Ductless Mini-Splits
Problem: Our homeowner’s home office was always a little chilly in the winter. Then, in the summer, he had to choose between sweating or using a loud window AC that also cost a lot to run.
Solution: Added a single-zone Mitsubishi mini-split with a wall-mounted air handler. It provides excellent, energy-efficient heating and cooling and is virtually silent.
Why Third-Floor Are Hard To Heat And Cool
Third-floor rooms are hard to heat and cool because they’re the furthest from the furnace, which means they get the weakest treatment from a forced-air system. Meanwhile, the heat rising from the rest of the house throws off the temperature. And, it doesn’t help that the thermostat is so far away.
As a result, our homeowner’s office was unbearable for a few months out of the year — and, at least, slightly uncomfortable for a few others.
The limitation of forced-air heating is that the system loses air pressure as it travels from the furnace. With a two-story home, it’s not too noticeable. But, by the time you’re trying to treat the third floor, you’ll notice that the circulation isn’t as strong as it is even on the second story.
Meanwhile, whatever heat rises from the rooms below this area keeps going until it finds a way out of the house. Since warmth is attracted to cold, that heat naturally moves outside, where the temperature’s much lower.
Those same forces create a heat trap in the summer: Hot air once again rises, collecting on the third floor. But now, you have the sun beating down on the room. Now, that heat has nowhere to go.
Fortunately, there’s an HVAC solution today that can take care of all these problems. Click to Schedule an Appointment
At What Temperatures Will a Heat Pump Work
Mitsubishi Mini-Split For A Home Office
We recommended a Mitsubishi mini-split for this home office because it offered heating and cooling as strong as any central, forced-air system. But, it would concentrate on just the area our homeowner needed to treat.
The mini-split uses ductless heating and cooling to offer the right treatment without major renovations to this York, PA home. Here’s how it works:
As the name implies, there’s no ductwork involved, and the system is “split” into two parts: A heat pump outside and an air handler in the room.
The heat pump draws in heat from outside during the winter, amplifies it, and sends it inside. In the summer, it gets rid of the excess warmth in the room. Inside, the air handler draws in the air from the room, cools or heats it, and then re-circulates it at the temperature you want. It also dehumidifies in the summer.
Type of Heat Pumps for Central PA Homes
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The two parts are connected by a lineset that runs refrigerant between them. That’s how the air handler provides warmth in the winter and removes heat in the summer.
Finally, the air handler has a built-in thermostat. That way, it measures the temperature in the room it’s treating instead of relying on the thermostat downstairs.
More Ductless Heating And Cooling Benefits
Ductless heating and cooling transformed this home office into one of the most comfortable rooms in the house — and the quietest! Even at full power, it barely makes a sound. Now, our homeowner works, make calls, and hops on Zoom without sacrificing his comfort.
And, it barely makes a blip on his utility bills! The mini-split uses a heat transfer process instead of burning fossil fuels. And, the air handler is amazingly efficient. It uses almost no power at all.
What Is The Cost Of A Ductless Mini-Split In York, PA?
Installing Ductless Heating And Cooling
Installing the ductless heating and cooling system in this York, PA home was an easy one-day job. With no ductwork to worry about, we just needed to mount the air handler inside and the heat pump outside and then run lines between them.
We put the air handler on an exterior wall and placed the heat pump directly below it outside. Then, we ran the lineset through the wall and down to the heat pump. This way, all you see inside is the unit on the wall — no wires or anything! Then, the outdoor unit is smaller than an AC condenser and close to the house, out of the way.
Met-Ed & Energy Save PA Rebates For AC & Mini-Splits
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Mitsubishi Mini-Splits In York, PA
Call or email Air Comfort Technologies to learn more about Mitsubishi mini-splits and if they’re a good fit for your home in York, PA. Starting with a free consultation, we’ll help you find the best way to make your home more comfortable than ever before!
