Our homeowners in Boise, ID had a quaint one-story home that they’d truly made their own. It has a rustic feel with hardwood floors, matching furniture, and old memorabilia and mementos.
Then, there’s the cozy, personal touch that comes with shelves full of books, DVDs, and video games.
Over time, they realized that the only part of their home they didn’t like was the HVAC.
Heating And Cooling In An Older Home
While they had a gas stove, they relied on electric baseboards for heat. They did the job, but our homeowners had to configure their furniture around those units.
And, to add central air, they’d have to take up even more room in their home by adding ductwork and soffits around them. Instead, they relied on window units.
Our homeowners had been thinking about going ductless for a while. But, they still had some questions and weren’t sure about the cost.
Now, with their 30-year-old system on its last legs, they reached out to us to explore their replacement options.
In this case study, we’ll explore the benefits of ductless heating and cooling in a one-story home. Then, we’ll take a closer look at this installation in particular.
And, if you’d like to learn more about how a system like this would look and feel in your Treasure Valley home, call or email Snowflake Air for a free consultation.
Problem: The 30-year-old gas/electric heating system in this single-story Boise, ID home broke down for good. The house never had air conditioning, and now there’s no heat.
Solution: Installed a multi-zone Mitsubishi ductless heating and cooling system with three indoor air handlers. Now, each room has quiet, comfortable, and energy-efficient heating and cooling.
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Ductless Heating And Cooling In A Single-Story Home
Ductless heating and cooling offers many benefits for any house. But, in particular, ductless great for single-story homes because it:
- Makes Nearly No Noise At All
- Doesn’t Take Up Much Space
- Offers Zoned Heating And Cooling
Makes Nearly No Noise At All
One thing our homeowners did like about baseboard heat was that they felt the warmth but never heard it. Ductless offers the same but works much better (we’ll get more into that later).
Anyone who’s had a home with forced-air heat and cooling knows how loud it can be. The same goes for windows AC’s as well.
And, in a smaller home, it seems like you can’t escape the loud whooshing sound. Especially when you’re trying to watch TV or have a conversation.
With ductless, the air handlers inside circulate air using tiny, specialized fans. As a result, they move the air around a lot but make almost no noise whatsoever. Our customers don’t hear a thing unless the room is silent and they’re standing right under one of the units.
Doesn’t Take Up Much Space
Both baseboard heaters and forced air take up a lot of room — just in different ways. Ductless, also called a “mini split,” beats them both out with a tiny indoor footprint.
As we mentioned, you need to leave room around baseboard units. That affects your room’s layout. With forced-air, you’d have soffits built on the walls around the ceiling.
They can make you feel boxed in — especially in a smaller space — and affect where you place shelves and photos.
With ductless, all you need is a few wall-mounted air handlers. They’re less than two feet wide, and one covers a large space. We can usually mount them in a corner near the ceiling to keep them out of the way.
Offers Zoned Heating And Cooling
Even in a smaller home, it’s nice to have flexibility when it comes to your temperature steadings. A mini split lets you change the temperature for each room individually.
Every air handler has a built-in thermostat. So, you’re not using one centralized gauge for the entire house.
That means you can program the bedroom to be cooler or warmer at night than during the day, for instance. Or, set each one to the same temperature and get nice, even heating and cooling in each room.
Saving Money With A Mini Split
Our homeowners knew about some of the benefits we mentioned here. And they were excited to learn more. But, they were a little worried about the upfront cost.
A mini split comes with a large sticker price: Around $3,200 for one room, and it goes up from there. A two-story home could cost up to $17,000.
This single-story wouldn’t be that expensive, however. And, our homeowners found ways to bring down that initial cost. Then, they’d enjoy savings every month after that.
Energy Efficiency
The key to all these savings is energy efficiency. A mini split works just as well and usually better than conventional forced-air HVAC. But, it uses almost no energy to do it.
Instead of burning fossil fuels, the systems transfer heat into the house in the winter and back out during the summer. As a result, they’ll see a huge drop in their electric bill when they get rid of the baseboard units and window ACs.
That’s right: with one system handling the heating and cooling, they’re saving money all year-’round.
Energy Rebates
Buying energy-efficient equipment also saves you money upfront. Idaho Power offers incentives for homeowners who purchase and install new efficient systems.
We made sure our homeowners were all set to get a rebate check sent directly to them once we finished the install.
Read More: Rebates and Financing For Mini Splits In And Around Boise Metro
Mini Split Installation In Boise, ID
With everything in place, it was time to design the system and install it in their home. With ductless, installation is quick and easy. We had the entire house ready to go in just one day!
For this single-story, Boise ID, home, we went with three air handlers, all connected to one heat pump outside. 
One air handler went in the living room to treat that space along with the dining area and kitchen. Then, we installed one in each of the two bedrooms.
Finally, we added one more in the basement, where they have another bedroom and entertainment area. So, four units in all.
Now, our homeowners enjoy silent, year-round comfort at a fraction of the price. And, they have more flexibility in how warm or cool each part of their house feels. And, they can finally put their furniture wherever they want.
If you’re curious about how a mini-split would look and feel in your Treasure Valley home, call or email Snowflake Air today! Starting with a free consultation, we’ll help you decide if ductless mini split installations in Boise, ID is right for you.
