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Older York, PA Home Gets Much-Needed Comfort With Ductless Mini-Split


Problem: Homeowners had radiator heat and window air conditioners in their York, PA home. They were constantly too hot in the summer, and their third floor was always way too hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.
Solution: Installed a multi-zone Carrier ductless mini split that provides air conditioning throughout the home, and supplements the existing radiator heat for perfect year-round comfort.


Our homeowners love their older home in York, PA. Built in the early 1900’s, this home had three floors of living space. But, the rooms on the third floor were always uncomfortable.

Despite using window air conditioners, the home office and extra bedroom up there were always steamy in the summer. Meanwhile, the radiators never seemed to win the fight against the drafts up there. So, the family relied on small space heaters to try and keep the rooms comfortable in the winter.

Dragging the heavy units up from the basement and installing them in key areas of the home always took a whole weekend, plus the windows were filled with the machinery for about half the year!

Then in the fall, the whole air conditioner dance had to be redone. But then it always seemed like right after the units were back in storage, there’d be a late-season heat wave and everyone would be sweaty for days!

The homeowners had enough and gave us a call. We knew that without ductwork, we should send our most expert mini-split installers to go take a look and make their recommendations.

In this case study, we’ll look explore:

  • Making An Older Home Comfortable Without Adding Ductwork
  • Mini Splits Lower Energy Bills
  • What Do Ductless Mini Splits Cost?
  • Rebates Are Available As Well!

And, if you want to learn how they can solve your home’s unique comfort problems, click below for your free consultation.

Making An Older Home Comfortable Without Adding Ductwork

Mini splits give homeowners like these the best of both worlds: Excellent heating and cooling throughout the house without giving up that cozy radiator heat or ripping up the house to install ductwork.

A mini split heat pump provides both heating and cooling by transferring heat — not air — to different parts of the house. As a result you don’t lose pressure as the air travels further from the furnace — that’s why forced-air systems don’t work that well for third floors or even some rooms on the second floor.

And, you can install it without paying thousands of dollars extra to have a contractor design and build ductwork, and then rip through your house to install it.

Instead of ductwork, a mini split uses a refrigerant liquid that travels in a closed loop between the heat pump outside and the air handlers in the house. The liquid carries heat with it: In the winter, the heat pump outside draws in what little warmth there is, amplifies it, and sends it inside.

In the summer, the air handlers extract the heat from the air in each room and send it outside.

That way, all you see inside are the air handlers (usually the wall-mounted units that sit close to the ceiling). The lines with the refrigerant in them run through the walls like electric wiring.

And, since each air handler has a built-in thermostat, our homeowners can control the temperature in each part of the house separately.

Mini Splits Lower Energy Bills

Ductless heating and cooling systems are 70 percent more efficient with heating and 30 percent more efficient in cooling than window air conditioners.

Best of all, many homeowners find that the ductless heating works well to supplement their current heat, often at lower costs, especially if their main system is oil dependent.

Now, our York, PA homeowners wait a few extra weeks in the fall before turning on their radiator heat. And, they stop using it a few weeks earlier at the end of winter. During that time, the ductless system takes the chill off with more efficient heating.

Then, in the winter, it adds extra warmth to keep the while house cozy without jacking up the bills.

What Do Ductless Mini Splits Cost?

A single zone of ductless air conditioning can run about $3,500 and provide years for cost-effective comfort in the York area. The cost increases with each additional air handler.

For this home, the owner opted for two zones on the first floor- one of the kitchen and dining area, and one for the main family room. Then, three units on the second floor — one for each bedroom — and one more on the third.

A larger system like this, with six zones, can get anywhere from $10,000 to $17,000 depending on the models. The money they’ll save on their energy bills over the next five years will make up for a lot of that cost. And, their ductless mini split installers helped them find two great ways to save money on the upfront price.

Rebates Are Available As Well!

Because these heat pump ductless mini-split systems are so efficient, our homeowners qualified for quite a few price breaks! THeir contractor connected them with:

  • Federal Tax Credits
  • PP&L Rebates
  • Carrier Rebates

In all, they saved nearly $1,000 and will pay $500 less on their taxes at the end of the year! That helped make this major upgrade in home comfort, plus gaining use of the third floor again even more affordable for this family.

Click below to learn more about how Carrier ductless systems could help you by adding energy-efficient air conditioning- and free up your windows at the same time.