Air Conditioners and Mini Split Heat Pumps

Air conditioners and heat pumps are both air treatment systems that use refrigerant to cool and heat air. Air conditioners extract heat from the air inside your home and release it outdoors, while heat pumps do the opposite by drawing heat from the air outside and releasing it indoors.

Both air conditioners and heat pumps are powered by electricity, but air conditioners use more energy than heat pumps. While air conditioners are more common in warm climates, heat pumps can be used in both warm and cold climates. Heat pumps are more efficient than air conditioners in cold climates since they can extract heat from the air even when the temperature is below freezing. In general, air conditioners are less expensive to install than heat pumps, but heat pumps are more energy-efficient and can save you money on your energy bill over time.

At Rural Energy, we offer a wide selection of air conditioning options to meet and fit the energy requirements of any residential home, whether it’s cooling off a single room or entire floors. The air conditioning equipment solutions in our catalog include products from leading brands including Toyotomi and Gree (filter by brand using the brand list on the left side of the page). Our team will outfit your facility with the right types of brands and sizes for your needs. Our wide array providing powerful, efficient, and cost-effective air conditioning equipment will provide you ample cooling comfort. Whether it’s for an entire floor cooling or a pump that acts as both a heater and air conditioner, we have an expansive collection of heating water equipment that provides comfort and satisfaction.

Specialty Air Conditioner Equipment from Leading Brands:

In the realm of air conditioning, the distinction often lies in the blend of innovative technology, efficiency, and unique features that top brands incorporate into their products. At Rural Energy, we offer a handpicked selection of specialty air conditioner equipment from the industry's leading names, ensuring you experience unparalleled comfort and efficiency.

Toyotomi Air Conditioners: Compact Efficiency Redefined

Toyotomi's range of portable air conditioners stands as a testament to the brand's dedication to innovation and efficiency. Even if your home is already equipped with central air conditioning, Toyotomi's units can provide supplemental cooling, ensuring optimal comfort while conserving energy. One of the standout features of these units is the double ducting system, which delivers a significant 20–30% efficiency boost over single-duct models. With a robust cooling capacity of 11,500 BTU, Toyotomi ensures that you can relax and unwind in a perfectly chilled environment, irrespective of external temperatures.

Gree Mini Splits: Advanced Cooling with Heat Pump Technology

Gree Mini Splits are more than just air conditioners; they represent the pinnacle of advanced cooling solutions. These units come equipped with a heat pump, a versatile feature that allows for both heating and cooling. This dual functionality ensures optimal indoor comfort throughout the year, regardless of the season. Two other standout features of these units are Gree's intelligent defrosting and the I-FEEL system. Intelligent defrosting optimizes energy use during its cycle, while the I-FEEL technology measures temperature at the remote, ensuring precise and comfortable cooling or heating throughout the day.

Explore our range of specialty air conditioner equipment and step into a world of comfort, efficiency, and state-of-the-art technology. With stalwarts like Toyotomi and Gree in our lineup, you're investing in a legacy of cooling excellence.

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Federal Tax Credit - Air Source Heat Pump

Q. What is a mini-split system?

A. A mini-split is a type of HVAC system that does not require ductwork. Also called ductless mini-splits, these systems provide cool air using the same cooling principles as compressor-driven central air conditioners. However, many mini-splits also have heat pump capabilities, allowing them to provide warm air during cool weather. A mini-split can be a cost-effective and energy efficient way to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature year-round.

Q. How is a ductless mini-split different from central air?

A. Instead of blowing air through ducts from a central air handler, a ductless mini-split places the air handler directly inside the occupied room. Unlike a central air system, which has a single air handler, multi-zone mini-splits have several independent air handlers.

Q. What's the difference between single and multi-zone ductless mini-splits?

A. Single zone mini-splits have one indoor air handler and one outdoor condenser. A multi-zone system uses a single condenser to provide cooling to several indoor air handlers, each of which is connected by a refrigerant line set to the condenser. This allows the system to cool more space, and to cool separate spaces independently with independent thermostats.

Q. Does a ductless mini-split’s air handler have to hang on the wall?

A. No. The air handler should be installed above floor level, but it can be recessed in the ceiling or hidden entirely with a short piece of ductwork.

Q. How does ductless mini-split air conditioning work?

A. Air conditioning systems work by capturing heat energy inside a space and transporting it outside. Coolant flows in a closed loop between an interior air handler, where an evaporator coil absorbs heat from the indoor air to an exterior condenser, where a compressor “squeezes” heat from the coolant and expels it into the outdoor air. A mini split eliminates the need for ducts because the air handler is placed inside the room, mounted on a wall, or recessed in the ceiling. The air handler fan is able to blow air across its coils and directly into the room.

Q. How does ductless mini-split heating work?

A. By reversing the coolant circuit, coolant is forced to evaporate in the outside unit’s coils and condense in the indoor air handler, effectively “pumping” heat into the building. Heat pumps are much more efficient than the electric resistance heating used by electric furnaces and space heaters. According to Energy Star, certified heat pumps use 60% less energy than electric resistance heating.

Q. Are mini split units more efficient than other air conditioning systems?

A. yes, there are several reasons why mini-split systems are efficient over a central air system. A mini-split efficiency advantage when compared with central HVAC is the lack of ductwork, more than 30% of the energy used in central air conditioning systems can be lost through ductwork. Ductless mini splits also have an efficiency advantage when compared with window units and portable air conditioners. In a mini-split system, the evaporator and condenser are on opposite sides of an insulated exterior wall. No heat can leak from the hot condenser coils outside to the cold evaporator coils inside. Importantly, zone systems allow separate spaces within a building to be heated or cooled independently, which helps prevent energy from being wasted in unoccupied spaces, or in spaces that are already at an acceptable temperature.