Like many people who proudly own historic houses, our Chestnut Hill homeowners loved the look and feel of their six-bedroom colonial. From the outside, it looked like a step back in time. Inside their home, they retained so much of the old-world ambiance and décor while mixing in some modern amenities — particularly in the kitchen.
But, one upgrade they didn’t have was heating and cooling. The home still had radiator heat and ceiling fans. After many uncomfortable seasons, it just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
The problem they ran into was not that installing an updated system was impossible — it just wasn’t desirable. Retrofitting ductwork in a home such as is expensive, and the house would lose its rustic charm. So, for years, our homeowners dealt with cold spots in each room during the winter. In the summer, they could either lug out window air conditioners from storage or sweat it out.
Our homeowners discovered ECI Comfort while searching for alternatives. When the more they read about ductless heating and cooling, the more excited they became about it.
In this case study, we’ll look at the limitations of this home’s old system and why forced air wasn’t a great option.
Then, we’ll take a quick look at how ductless heating and cooling works, and how it fits comfortably into this old home.
Outdated HVAC in Older Homes
Homes built before the 50s generally don’t have ductwork. And, central air wasn’t available residentially until the 70s. So, homes built before those times either need retrofitting or make do with what they have.
The radiator heat in this Chestnut Hill colonial is notably hotter than forced air. It’s also not nearly as dry as what you get with a furnace. But, it can take a long time to heat an entire room, especially with high ceilings. That’s when you end up with cold spots.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia didn’t get nearly as hot in the summer now as it did a century ago. And, all the electronics we use drive up the temperature as well. Open windows and ceiling fans don’t cut it anymore.
Challenges of Ductwork in Older Homes
On top of the new HVAC equipment, our homeowners would have to add thousands more for an HVAC company to design, fabricate, and install ductwork for a forced-air system. If they went with this option, their home would never be the same — and not in a good way.
Installing it would mean building out soffits, or enclosures for it, all over the house. Rooms would have ugly, boxy bulges running along the walls. It likely wouldn’t even work that well due to losing air pressure the further away from the furnace air travels.
That’s why our homeowners made do for so long — until they discovered ductless.
Ductless Heating and Cooling in Older and Classic Philadelphia Homes
Ductless heating and cooling is an excellent choice for older, classic, and historic Philadelphia homes. Benefits include:
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Non-invasive installation
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Customizable zoned HVAC
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Cost-saving energy efficiency
Non-Invasive Installation
You can install a ductless mini split to reach every inch of your home without changing the look and feel of each room. Instead of ductwork, mini splits use a narrow, flexible line set that pumps refrigerant fluid, or coolant, between the components. Outside, a heat pump gets rid of heat in the summer. In the winter, it draws in warmth from outside, compresses and amplifies it, and sends it inside. In the home, wall-mounted air handlers circulate the treated air. The heat, or thermal energy, travels through the coolant in the line set.
Since those lines are small, we can often run them behind the walls where you never see them. There’s no bulky ductwork or anything else disrupting the house.
Customizable Zoned HVAC
Zoned HVAC gets rid of those hot and cold spots we talked about before. Each air handler uses a separate thermostat to regulate the room, area, or zone, where it is installed.
Even within those small areas, the handlers make sure the heating or cooling gets distributed the way you want it. Specialized sensors detect even small temperature differences in a room. Then, small fans direct heating or air conditioning to the exact spots that need it.
This was a big deal for our homeowners. Not only would their new system not take up too much space in the house. It would also make it feel more comfortable than ever before.
Cost-saving energy efficiency
After the cost to install this system — our homeowners will find themselves paying less each month on their utility bills.
Ductless uses a tiny fraction of the energy that window ACs and gas or oil heat require. As a result, these systems often start paying for themselves after a while. They use INVERTER technology to maintain that setting rather than turn it on and off a few times every hour to correct things when it gets too hot or too cold.
Consider it like highway versus city miles in your car: You use less gas cruising on the open road instead of stopping and starting all the time. Thanks to manufacturer rebates and incentives from the PECO Smart Energy Program, our homeowners even saved some money on the upfront cost.
Daikin Ductless Mini Split Installation in Chestnut Hill
Once our homeowners chose the system they wanted, installing it took less than a week. First, we found an out-of-the-way spot at the back of the house for the heat pump. It’s narrow and has a side discharge, so we put it close to the stone wall without worrying about blocking the exhaust.
Inside, we installed the air handlers mostly in the corners of each bedroom. Since they circulate the air so well, it didn’t matter that they weren’t centered. Downstairs, we added one to handle the mostly-open kitchen, dining room, and living room area. After that, we needed just one more for a study. With most air handlers on exterior walls, running the line set outside was simple. The final touch was choosing a casing that matched the color of the home’s exterior.
Now, our Chestnut Hill homeowners have fantastic heating and cooling that they feel but don’t see. And, they barely notice it on their electric bill, either. You don’t need to change the look and feel of your historic home to feel comfortable in it all year. Starting with a free consultation, ECI Comfort will help you find the perfect system for your needs.
Read a similar story about another home in Chestnut Hill: Throwback Thursday: Two-Stage Furnace and High-Velocity Upgrades to Historic Chestnut Hill Home
If you are located in the Delaware Valley Area and looking to find comfort in your home, visit our website or give us a call at 215-245-3200 to learn more.
