When it comes to investing in an air conditioning system for your home, you have two main options to choose from. These include a traditional central air conditioning system and a newer ductless mini-split system. We’re going to discuss what these two different systems are below so you can make a better-informed decision about which one is ideal for your household.

What Is Central Air Conditioning?

A central air conditioning system is a home cooling system that’s comprised of three main components. Most people are familiar with the outdoor condenser unit which houses important components like the compressor pump and condenser coil. The two other components include the indoor air handler unit and the refrigerant lines. If you already have a furnace and ductwork installed in your home, then a central air conditioning installation will typically use the same blower components as your furnace.

As a central air conditioning system operates, it uses the blower components to pull in air throughout various rooms of your home. As this air travels through your ducting, it gets filtered and passes over the evaporator coil inside your indoor air handler unit. Inside the evaporator coil is a substance called refrigerant that’s responsible for absorbing excess heat. As that hot air passes over the evaporator coil, it naturally transitions into the low-pressure refrigerant. The now cold air gets circulated throughout the rooms of your home via your ducting.

The now hot refrigerant gets pumped to the outdoor compressor unit via the compressor pump and your refrigerant lines. At the outdoor compressor unit, fresh air is pulled into the unit and passes over the condenser coil. The hot, high-pressure refrigerant sits inside the condenser coil. As the fresh low-pressure air from outside passes over the coil, heat naturally transitions from the high-pressure refrigerant to the low-pressure air.

The refrigerant then travels back inside through an expansion valve, where the pressure is reset so that the refrigerant can enter your evaporator coil with a low pressure. This process happens over and over again until your home gets to the desired temperature setting on your thermostat. All central air conditioning systems run on electricity.

What Is a Ductless Mini-Split System?

A ductless mini-split system works very similarly to that of a central air conditioning system and is also powered by electricity. The main difference between the two is that the ductless system has multiple indoor air handler units as compared to just one like a central air conditioning system. With a mini-split setup, there will be an indoor air handler unit in all the main rooms of your home.

Each indoor air handler unit will be responsible for pulling in air from that specific room, cooling it, and redispersing it into the room. Ductless mini-split systems are typically ideal for homes that don’t already have traditional ducting installed. They allow you to set each indoor air handler unit to its own temperature, which can better maximize your energy usage throughout the summer season.

Dual-Purpose System

One very important distinction to make between a central air conditioning system and a ductless mini-split system is that the latter provides heat for your home as well. The ductless mini-split system utilizes heat pump technology. While traditional ductless mini-split systems can only provide adequate and efficient heat at temperatures above freezing, newer systems can provide efficient heating all the way down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Upfront Investment

When comparing any air conditioning systems, it’s always important to take the upfront pricing into account. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, central air conditioning can cost up to 30% less to have installed as compared to a ductless mini-split system. With this in mind, it’s also important to note that ductless mini-split systems do make you eligible to receive a federal tax incentive under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

This can allow you to cash in on a tax incentive of up to 30% of the total cost of labor and parts for your new system or up to a maximum amount of $3,200 to help recoup some of the upfront cost of your investment. Only some central air conditioning systems with high-efficiency ratings are eligible to receive this tax incentive.

The Role of Ducting

As we went over above, central air conditioning requires ducting to function, whereas ductless mini-split systems don’t. If you already have ducting installed in your home, then you may opt for simply investing in a central air conditioning system because it’s more cost-effective. However, if your home lacks adequate ducting, it can be more cost-effective to invest in a ductless mini-split system as opposed to paying to install ducting after your home’s construction is complete.

It’s also vital to note that ducting can affect the overall operating efficiency and input costs associated with your new cooling system. Over time, ducting can develop gaps and leaks as it naturally expands and contracts in varying temperatures. These leaks can allow your precious cold air to escape into your wall and floor cavities instead of making its way to the various rooms in your home. This will lead to more inefficient system operation. Because ductless mini-split systems don’t use ducting, there’s no loss of efficiency.

Maintenance Needs

Both central air conditioning and ductless mini-split systems require regular maintenance to stay in tip-top condition. Both will need to receive professional maintenance service on an annual basis for things like lubricating moving parts, calibrating your thermostat, testing electrical connections, recharging refrigerant levels, and so forth. A maintenance club or similar program is the ideal way to stay on top of it, otherwise it’s very easy to forget to schedule it.

Apart from professional maintenance service, both systems will need regular homeowner maintenance service. You’ll need to check your outdoor condenser unit every month to remove any debris and trim back any shrubbery that’s within 3 feet of it. Additionally, you’ll need to change out your system’s air filter.

A central air conditioning system only has one air filter that’s situated inside the return ducting. It should be checked monthly and replaced when necessary. Most homeowners find they need to replace their filters every two months. With a ductless mini-split system, there is a filter inside each indoor air handler unit.

These filters are washable and should be properly cleaned every single month at the bare minimum. Some households may find that they need to clean their filters more often if they have pets or lots of residents. Because ductless mini-split systems have washable filters, they don’t filter as well as pleated filters that can be installed in central air conditioning systems.

Zone Temperature Control

One very notable difference between central air conditioning and ductless mini-split systems is the way they control the temperature throughout your home. A central air conditioning system typically relies on one thermostat to read the ambient temperature in your home, unless you invest in specialized zoning. A ductless mini-split system will have a built-in thermostat in each indoor air handler unit, so its temperature can be controlled independently from all of the rest of the units.

Exceptional AC Installation Service

Crystal Blue Plumbing, Heating & Air offers exceptional air conditioning installation services for the entire Sacramento, CA community. We can also help with all your plumbing, heating, cooling, indoor air quality, dual fuel system, commercial, duct replacement, duct repair, HRV/ERV, HVAC zoning, thermostat, and air filtration needs. Simply call our friendly staff today to book your next service consultation.