♦ Air Handler The portion of your heating and cooling system that forces air through your home's ductwork. Ductless mini split systems have no ductwork, the air handler is most commonly called an Indoor Unit. The indoor unit return air is normally drawn through the top and front of the indoor unit, passed across the evaporator coil and is discharged through the bottom which has a motorized flap controlled by a remote control.
♦ BTU British Thermal Units. The amount of heat it takes to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. The higher the BTU rating, the larger the heating capacity of the furnace or air conditioner. BTU is also expressed in tons, there are 12,000 BTU to a ton.
Example: 9,000 BTU = 3/4-Ton, 12,000 BTU = 1-Ton, 18,000 BTU = 1-1/2 Ton
♦ Capacity The ability of a heating or cooling system to heat or cool a given amount of space. Heating is usually expressed in BTUs, cooling is expressed in tons.
♦ Compressor The motor, pump that drives the air conditioning unit. It is responsible for pumping refrigerant throughout the system.. The compressor is located in the outdoor unit, which is a huge factor keeping noise levels down.
♦ Condenser Coill Part of the outdoor portion of a heating or cooling system, that releases or collects heat from the outside air.
♦ Ductwork Hollow metal pipes used to transfer air throughout your house.
♦ Evaporator Coil Part of the heating or cooling system located indoors, that cools and dehumidifies the air by converting liquid refrigerant into gas.
♦ Heat Exchanger The major part of the furnace that transfers heat into your home..
♦ Heat Pump A unit that handles both heating and cooling. In some climates, a heat pump may handle your heating and cooling needs more efficiently than a furnace and air conditioner.
♦ HSPF Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. Measures the heating efficiency of a heat pump. The higher the number the more efficient the heat pump heats your home.
♦ HVAC Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
♦ Refrigerant A chemical that cools air as it evaporates
♦ SEER Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. SEER measures a unit's cooling efficiency. The higher the number, the greater the efficiency. The SEER calculation is based as the result of the Btu's produced divided by the amount of watts consumed. An air conditioner is said to be 16 SEER if, for example, it produces 24,000 Btu's per hour (2 tons) and consumes 1500 watts in that one hour of operation. A 24,000 Btu air conditioner consuming 1846 watts per hour would be 13 SEER
♦ Split System Refers to an air conditioner or heat pump that is combined with indoor components, such as an evaporator coil inside and a condenser coil outside your home.
♦ Thermostat A device that monitors and controls your temperature inside your home. The remote control is most commonly used as a thermostat on ductless split systems
♦ Zone Zoning allows you to control the heating and cooling delivered to specific areas of your house for a custom solution. Zoning can increase efficiency and comfort in the areas of the house you use most often.
Ductless Mini Split Glossary
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WHAT IS A DUCTLESS MINI SPLIT SYSTEM? Mini-splits have two main components: an outdoor compressor/condenser
and an indoor air handling unit. Like central systems, a conduit, which houses the power cable, refrigerant tubing,
and a condensate drain, links the indoor and outdoor units.
WHAT ARE THE BEST APPLICATIONS? Mini splits can be effectively used in both residential and commercial buildings.
They are currently most commonly used in multi-family housing or retrofit as add-ons to homes with "non-ducted" heating systems. They can also be a good choice for room additions and small apartments, where installing ductwork
(for a central air-conditioner or heating systems) is not feasible or practical. Other opportunities for effective use include
school classrooms, perimeter cooling for office buildings, additional cooling for office buildings, additional cooling
for restaurant kitchens and cooling for small offices. They can also effectively cool smaller areas within larger spaces,
such as arenas, warehouses or auditoriums.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN ADVANTAGES? Mini-splits are small in size and very flexible for zoning because no ductwork is needed for heating and cooling individual rooms or areas. Each unit has its own thermostat, so you can adjust it to the requirements
of the room or area.
ARE THEY ENERGY EFFICIENT? Since mini-splits have no ducts, they avoid the energy losses associated with the ductwork
of central forced air systems. Duct losses can account for more than 30% of energy consumption,
especially if the ducts are in a non-air conditioned space, such as an attic.
CAN THEY HEAT AND COOL? Yes. Ductless mini split-systems are available in both air conditioner
and air conditioner / heat pump models.
