Ductless air conditioners have been a popular commodity in the Ottawa region for many years as an alternative cooling solution. Many homes are built without the infrastructure for central heating and cooling (ductwork). Historically, these homes have heated using boilers with water radiators or electric baseboard heating.
With massive advancements in technology ductless heat pumps are becoming a viable solution to heat and cool these homes!
We install and maintain a large number of ductless split heat pump systems in our area. Our top choices for heat pumps that offer the best performance, dependability, and value in Ottawa and the Valley come from Lennox and Mitsubishi.
A ductless heat pump is a split system that consists of a unit that sits outside your home (Condensing Unit) and an indoor wall mounted unit (Evaporator coil). These two pieces of equipment are connected by copper lines that allow refrigerant to flow between the two machines.
A ductless heat pump works by removing heat from one area and redistributing it to another area. In the winter we remove heat from the outdoors and deliver it into your home and in the summer, we remove heat from the indoors and discharge it outside.
The Mitsubishi Hyper Heat
Mitsubishi is a class leader in designing and manufacturing industry leading heating and cooling solutions. The Hyper Heat offers flexibility as you can install anywhere from 2-8 indoor units creating a perfectly tempered zoned system. With very high efficiency ratings and low ambient capabilities the Mitsubishi hyper heat is a great option for the Ottawa area.
This unit can produce 100% of its heating capacity at -15C and can still produce 75% of its heating capacity at -25C! Mitsubishi offers many different options for indoor units including high wall mounted air handlers, low wall solutions and even ceiling cassettes for discrete installations.
The Lennox Mini VRF
Lennox is revolutionizing home heating and cooling solutions by offering what is known as mini VRF heating. The Lennox mini VRF is a low ambient ductless heat pump solution that can operate multiple zones with heating down capacities down to -25C. One of the most unique features of this system is the ability to utilize a gas furnace as back up heat while additionally tying into ductless distribution heads throughout the home.
This system truly offers the best of both worlds as you can utilize hyper efficient ductless heating and cooling while also enjoying the reliability and financial upsides of gas heat as a back up.
Mitsubishi Standard Heat Pumps
Mitsubishi offer standard heat pumps that can produce heat down to -15C. These units are perfect for those people looking to cool their homes efficiently but also offset heating costs in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall. With class leading technology and warranties Mitsubishi is always a great choice in ensuring your homes comfort year round.
At AirZone HVAC Services, we offer many different products to fit almost any budget. Our goal is to provide you with a heating and/or cooling system that works for you and your family. We many sure that even our most affordable products are dependable with a performance level up to our high standard.
One of the best benefits of a ductless heat pump is the flexibility of the installations and the wide range in terms of efficiency, sizing and brands. This makes pinpointing the cost on a ductless split heat pump difficult. Here are some factors that will affect the cost of your ductless split air conditioner in Ottawa:
As you can see putting a price on a ductless heat pump without evaluating many parameters is difficult. We tend to see that clients that are looking for cooling only (no heating ability) solutions often spend between $2500-$4000 for their single zone cooling system. Homeowners in Ottawa looking for a single zone heat pump average a spend of $2900-$5000. Clients looking to heat and cool multiple areas average costs between $3500-$7000. Those projects with 3-4 indoor zones connected to very high end outdoor units may spend $8500-$20,000 depending on the parameters. Please note that these prices were updated in the spring of 2021 and will change over time.
In a climate like Ottawa it may seem like this type of system is not viable, as we experience such frigid winters. With amazing advancements in technology we can now enjoy the benefits of heats pumps for the majority of the year. Manufacturers like Mitsubishi and Lennox now offer options that are known as “Cold Climate Heat Pumps” or “Low Ambient Heat Pumps”. These units can produce heat down to very low temperatures and many maintain full capacity down to -20C and can still produce heat at temperatures colder than -30C!
Furthermore, homes that heat with baseboard heaters also invariably suffer from lack of air flow and poor indoor air quality. Adding a ductless system allows you to get airflow throughout the home with built in filters to aid in air quality.
In summation, we still need supplemental heat in our homes for the evenings that reach balmy -40C temperatures, but for the majority of the year, Ottawa residents can heat and cool their homes with hyper efficient ductless solutions. If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to reach out to our office to book a free consultation for ductless solutions in your home.
