(Newswire.net — August 10th, 2013) Virginia Beach, VA –In this economy, energy costs have increased and everybody is looking for ways to save money. In fact, USATODAY.com reported that “Electric bills have skyrocketed in the last five years, a sharp reversal from the past quarter-century when Americans enjoyed stable power bills even as they used more electricity.”
One answer to the increased energy costs has been the rise of the Mini Splits as a heating and cooling solution in both home and business situations. These particular units seem to be not only energy efficient, but have saved users money on heating and air conditioning costs by giving them more options. They no longer have to set a temperature for the whole house or office. The result is increased efficiency over a full central air system.
Across Hampton Roads the trend seems to be the same. We ask Justin Mathews owner of Air Specialty in Norfolk about trends in Hampton Roads in regard to Mini Splits. He said “We have seen a share rise in past several years both in interest and purchases of Mini Splits for a variety of uses in both commercial and residential applications.”
Another attractive feature offered by Mini Splits is that they are also designed to be easy to install without any ductwork. This saves on installation and material costs, provides better security than a window unit and since that duct space does not have to be heated or cooled, it also cuts the monthly energy use as well.
Research shows that leaking ductwork is a major cause of higher energy costs as Justin Mathews explained, “It’s not unusual in many HAVC systems to see a lot of leakage through the ductwork. We find the amount of leakage to be about 25% to 30% of the systems output. In fact a survey by Contractors Magazine recently reported that 80% of the homes needed duct repairs. New ductwork can fix a lot of these issues, but Mini Splits can eliminate it altogether.”
One of the most attractive features of the Mini Split units is its ability to only heat and cool the areas that need it. Justin Mathews of Air Specialty gave us some perspective. “We are the only country in the world that thinks it’s a good idea to condition the air and then force it through a hostile environment into our homes. Everyone else uses Mini Splits. They provide you with room by room control. So if you’re not in the bedroom during the day, then you can don’t need to condition that space. Likewise, if you are not using the Living Room at night, why cool it? Mini Splits allow you to take charge of your home on a room by room basis.”
As OnlinePR.com states “For consumers who do not have $10,000 to invest into a central air conditioning unit that will help regulate the temperature of the whole home. A mini split unit will be affordable upfront, even if the consumer chooses a unit that will cool up to four or five different spaces with the same controls. Instead of spending $10,000 they can spend a mere fraction of that cost and still control the temperature of the home whether they need cool air or hot air.”
With rising energy costs taking a larger portion of the household budget each year Mini Splits seem to be a good idea to reduce part of it. American news report.com summed it up nicely, “This new technology allows you to use only the exact amount of energy that you need in your home. And being able to adjust it with a remote control allows you to be much more efficient with your energy and with your money.”