{"id":13564,"date":"2011-09-29T11:50:29","date_gmt":"2011-09-29T17:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sustainablog.org\/?p=13564"},"modified":"2011-09-29T11:50:29","modified_gmt":"2011-09-29T17:50:29","slug":"ductless-heat-pump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/ductless-heat-pump\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ductless Heat Pump: an Efficient Heating (and Cooling) Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9Eqx3UAUXUo<\/p>\n

UPDATE (2\/3\/12):<\/strong> NEEA has wrapped up their Going Ductless campaign, and drawn a name for the cash prize. Ross Daniel of Seattle<\/a> will no doubt have a good weekend, as he’s the winner of the $10,000 grand prize. He’s also a big fan of ductless heating systems, which we describe in more detail below…<\/p>\n

It’s starting to get cooler out, especially at night, and your thoughts may be turning to the pleasures of Fall: colorful trees, sweaters, and hot mugs of cider. Of course, you may also be dwelling on some less pleasant thoughts… namely, what it’s going to cost to heat your home<\/a> this Winter. I don’t know if the almanac’s predicting as brutal a winter as last year, but we’ll definitely be running the heating system… and paying for the fuel to do it.<\/p>\n

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)<\/a> has picked this appropriate time to start promoting a technology that was new to me: the ductless heat pump. Their argument: this heating (and cooling) system is much more efficient and cost-effective than some of the decades-old technologies many of us still use, like baseboard and wall heaters. They’re having fun with their Going Ductless<\/a> campaign by letting people know that “the 70s are calling, and they want their heater back,” giving users some graphic tools<\/a> that allow you to place your picture in 7os-style settings, and sharing their “King of HVAC<\/a>” videos (that’s one above). They’re even offering a $10,000 cash prize<\/a> to Northwestern residents. They’re very serious about the technology, though, claiming that ductless heat pumps can save consumers\u00a025 \u2013 50 percent<\/a> on heating bills when compared to older systems.<\/p>\n

Still, I didn’t know much about these systems, so I started digging…<\/p>\n

What is a ductless heat pump?<\/h3>\n

Essentially, they’re smaller-scale versions of air-source heat pumps<\/a>. Also known as “mini-splits,” they consist of<\/a> “two main components: an outdoor compressor\/condenser, and an indoor air-handling unit. A conduit, which houses the power cable, refrigerant tubing, suction tubing, and a condensate drain, links the outdoor and indoor units.”<\/p>\n

They seem like a good alternative for new construction, for replacing a ducted system (if you need to do that… I don’t know that the costs line up for optional replacement), or for replacing non-ducted systems. They run on electricity.<\/p>\n

What makes these systems so efficient?<\/h3>\n

The Oregon Department of Energy<\/a> lists three advantage of ductless heat pumps:<\/p>\n