Case Studies

The Old City section of Philadelphia is one of the most desirable neighborhoods to reside in the city. Many of these homes are a century old, if not older. Although desirable, these homes experience difficulty maintaining comfort during the warmer months because of the original structure of the home. Homeowners in these types of homes (called rowhomes) usually rely on window air conditioning units to attempt to keep them cool and oftentimes think that they have no other alternative than to deal with uncomfortable temperatures in their houses year-round. What they don't know is that the best solution for Old City homeowners is to upgrade their window AC units to mini-split air conditioning.

Heating and Cooling a 1920s Rowhome

This Old City rowhome had a gas-fired water boiler and cast iron radiators for heat. Since radiators use pipes, there is no ductwork in the home that can comply with a central air conditioning system. Since most homes in Old City have radiators for heat, they use window AC units to cool their homes during the summertime rather than adding bulky ductwork for central air. 

Window AC units are not very efficient – they use more energy than central units and end up costing more money. They're also a pain to install due to their heaviness and take up your window space for a good amount of the year. And let's not even start with how loud they can be!  

HVAC Upgrading Options

Option 1: 

Central air conditioning is one option that Philadelphia rowhouse owners can choose when upgrading their HVAC systems, but it comes with many challenges. HVAC technicians would have to install ductwork throughout the home, which takes up a lot of space. Since rowhomes are tinier homes, the soffits that would have to be built would take up as much as two feet in length and a foot in depth. In a small rowhome, this is a lot of space to take up in each room!

Fortunately, this homeowner had a mini-split system in his previous home. He knew how they worked and that this kind of system would make a huge difference in his current home.

Option 2: 

Installing a mini-split heat pump system is another option Old City homeowners can choose when upgrading their HVAC systems. Although a mini-split system typically costs more to install compared to central air, there are ways to reduce that expense. Mini-splits are extremely energy efficient compared to traditional air conditioners. Advanced technology and zoning abilities result in less electricity being used, therefore lower bills.

The mini-split system doesn’t need large ductwork to add both air conditioning and heat to a home. No additional work will need to be done to your home other than just installing the mini-splits. Additionally, the outdoor unit of a mini-split system (a heat pump) is smaller than the outdoor unit for traditional central air, so homeowners are also saving room outside their homes. Certain heat pumps, such as the Trane XV19 Variable-Speed Low-Profile Heat Pump are specifically built for rowhomes like the ones in Philadelphia with their compact design and low noise levels. 

Mini-split systems are known to be whisper-quiet, only producing about 20 decibels of sound. That’s compared to up to 70 decibels for central air. Another way to think about that is to compare the sound of a whisper conversation in a library versus a car 25 feet away passing by at 65 mph.

Another benefit of a mini-split system is its zoning ability. Mini-splits have the ability to be broken up into different zones with separate air handlers that correspond to their own thermostats. With this feature, homeowners can reach desired temperatures in each separate room or zone. 

Installing a Ducted Heat Pump System in a 90-year-old Rowhome

In an Old City rowhome where there’s not a lot of extra space, creativity rises. Fortunately, ECI Comfort has been installing mini-splits for years and can install them with no burden. 

Our first step here was installing the heat pump on the roof.  It’s similar to a traditional AC condenser, except it’s much smaller and quieter, so it gives space back in your backyard. However, this property didn’t have a backyard or any room on the sides of the home to place the heat pump so it was installed on their roof. Our technicians can get up there easily enough for annual maintenance calls, so the homeowner did not have to worry about accessing it themselves. .

Next came the air handlers. The Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat heat pumps can work ducted or ductless. In this case, we installed a ducted system.

This Old City rowhome called for two indoor units: one air handler in the laundry room and one in the small space in the attic above the stairwell. From there, we connected the air handlers to vents in the ceilings. ECI decided on horizontal-ducted air handlers (left) versus a traditional ducted one (right) to save room in their rowhome.