No two homes in northern New Jersey are the same. That’s a fundamental fact that we’ve seen proven time and time again in our 100+ years of service here. Every year, the JW Pierson team provides heating and cooling services to homes that we just built, homes that date back to the early 1900s and just about every other home you can imagine.
While many of these houses were built with centralized heating and air conditioning systems in mind, others predate the emergence of central A/C by several decades. Happily, our team has HVAC experts who can identify and install A/C equipment that’s perfectly suited to the age and layout of just about any home — and the systems we install are designed to work efficiently and for a long service life.
In this article, we’ll discuss the difference between central and ductless air conditioning. Plus, we’ll talk about which option is better for which homes.
Central A/C systems, also known as ducted A/C, feature an outdoor condenser unit and an indoor unit (generally located in a basement, attic or utility space) with a blower fan that connects to your home’s ductwork. The system draws out heat from your indoor spaces and blows cooled air in via ducts through vents.
As the name suggests, ductless A/C systems do not require ductwork. Their outdoor condenser connects via thin conduit lines to one or several indoor air handling units, which are mounted on your home’s walls, ceilings or floors. These systems use heat pump technology to move heat between the inside and outside of your home. Many systems have the ability to provide supplemental heat, too!
As a general rule, you should consider a central A/C system if your home has ductwork already, you’re building a new home with ducts, or you’re adding ducts to accommodate a furnace.
The key thing to bear in mind is that central A/C is a cost-effective, efficient and convenient cooling option when you already have the ductwork it requires. You can typically control these systems from a single thermostat, and replacement equipment tends to be more affordable than ductless A/C.
If your home uses a boiler for heating and lacks ductwork, then ductless A/C is probably the best option. Adding ductwork to a smaller or older home can mean giving up space and dealing with significant costs and disruptions. While ductless A/C equipment may often be pricier than central A/C equipment, ductless systems don’t require installing new ventilation infrastructure. Indeed, installation normally only involves basic drilling. And ductless A/C offers fantastic energy efficiency benefits — you can keep different “zones” of your home at various temperatures, which can defray the higher initial cost quickly.
It’s also worth noting that ductless A/C is a good option if you’re building a smaller home, a studio, a guest house or an addition to your house that isn’t easily accessible by your ductwork.
JW Pierson installs both central and ductless A/C systems in South Orange and throughout New Jersey’s Essex, Passaic and Bergen Counties. Contact us to get a free estimate on a home cooling upgrade.