The weather extremes in Arlington Heights, Illinois, necessitate just about year round temperature control.
We switch from heating to cooling with little to no break in-between.
The cost of indoor comfort accounts for approximately fifty percent of our energy bills. A few years ago, I started looking into opportunities to increase efficiency, trim utility costs and minimize our carbon footprint. I also hoped to improve comfort. My home is big, old and divided into lots of rooms. There are spaces that are used for nothing but storage. There are rooms that tend to feel overheated during the summer and those that are consistently chilly in the winter. One thermostat made it impossible to cater to occupancy, room requirements or preferences. It was costing me a fortune trying to keep my family happy. My research led me to ductless HVAC. This type of system consists of an outdoor compressor that links to one or multiple indoor air handlers by way of conduit. The installation can be completed in a single day and avoids the time and mess of major renovation. The air handlers are lightweight, streamlined and unobtrusive. They mount up high on the wall, operate quietly and can be controlled by way of a cordless remote or even my smartphone. Because the air handlers are heat pumps, they supply both heating and cooling capacity. The system effectively dehumidifies in the summer and helps to filter out contaminants. The advantages of zone control have saved enough money on my energy bills to recover the cost of the system in under five years.