A combined ducted and ductless system can provide more consistent temperatures throughout a home while allowing homeowners to control individual spaces.
Photo: Alex Dolle/PEXELS
Adding a modern heat pump does not necessarily mean replacing your home's entire HVAC system. Heat pumps are more efficient than many traditional heating systems, making homes more comfortable during extreme temperatures and weather conditions.
Feature Impact - Making your home a comfortable, welcoming place starts with the choices you make about heating and cooling it. If you're looking to upgrade your system, it may not require a complete overhaul of your existing HVAC setup to add a modern heat pump. Ducted heat pumps can often be installed using a home's existing ducts - and in some cases, it might make sense to combine ducted and ductless equipment. It all depends on the needs of your space. To figure out what factors you should take into account while planning your HVAC system revamp, consider this guidance from the heating and cooling experts at Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS), leading providers of all-electric, all-climate heat pumps in the U.S.
How Heat Pumps Can Work with Existing Ductwork
Similar to traditional HVAC systems, ducted heat pumps are designed to distribute conditioned air through ductwork. Therefore, if your home is already set up with a usable duct system, adding a heat pump and air handler could allow you to heat and cool your home more efficiently and comfortably. Depending on the condition, size and layout of your ductwork, you may just need minor modifications during the installation process. Getting a professional home assessment with a qualified HVAC contractor can help you evaluate your options. Because no two spaces are the same, they will assess the design and condition of your existing system, evaluate whether it can support a modern heat pump and identify other potential opportunities for improvement.Why You Can't Use the Same HVAC Approach for Every Home
Every home is different, so there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all HVAC solution. If you have certain rooms that consistently make you shiver or sweat when you walk into them - no matter how comfortable the rest of the house is - that's probably a space your ducted system isn't equipped to reach on its own.More home improvement articles
When to Combine Ducted and Ductless Systems
A combined approach may make sense when you have spaces with different heating and cooling needs. By leveraging existing ductwork in the main areas of your home, you can install a ducted heat pump to keep your most-used living spaces comfortable without extensively reconfiguring your HVAC setup. Spaces outside the main zones can be more difficult to keep climate-controlled using ducted systems alone. Additions, sunrooms, finished basements and converted attics or garages are good places to add ductless indoor units to help manage temperatures. Combine ducted and ductless solutions in a sustainable way by choosing energy-efficient models like Mitsubishi Electric's all-electric, all-climate heat pumps. Integrate a ducted air handler into your existing whole-home system to control the bulk of heating and cooling then install wall-mounted ductless units as needed to provide targeted, on-demand comfort in areas that are more difficult to heat or cool. The heat pumps are designed for high performance in a wide range of temperatures and conditions while remaining quiet, adaptable and energy efficient.
Photo: Max Vakhtbovych/PEXELS
From finished basements to sunrooms and bonus rooms, some spaces are harder to heat and cool. Heat pumps systems can provide more consistent temperatures in additions and other challenging spaces.
