At Synergy3, we usually deal with homes in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. When one of our customers asked if we could help them with the heating and cooling problems at their vacation home in Albrightsville in the Poconos, we were glad to take on the challenge.
Taking on a Challenge
When we spoke with our customer, they loved their vacation home, but it just wasn’t built for air conditioning. Summers have gradually gotten warmer, and there’s more to do in the summer than ever, so what used to be a Fall & Winter retreat now can be used year-long. And with more and more people discovering the area during the pandemic, there’s a greater demand than ever for short-term rentals that can make a weekend getaway like this one profitable for owners to rent. However, renters expect comfort, and this getaway needed a comfort upgrade. This home needed better air conditioning, but it also needed an efficient heating system that could be used as needed to add comfort on demand.
Problem: Poconos Vacation home needed additional comfort so it could be a year-round paradise for the owners (and renters!)
Solution: A Three-zone Bryant ductless heating and air conditioning system will help provide year-round comfort making this retreat in Albrightsville a true paradise.
Read More: How Do Ductless Mini Splits Work?
Floor plans that need Zoned Comfort
Homes like this one in Albrightsville often have what we call “cabin” architecture inside- bedrooms on the second floor, but a balcony looking down to an open floor plan below, many times designed to take advantage of the spectacular views of the surroundings. These designs are great for giving people places to relax and unwind, but they can be difficult to heat and cool. The big open spaces and high ceilings need good air circulation in order to make sure you don’t get hot and cold spots, and in the summer, they can trap heat, making the second floor a sauna.
Three Zones Provides Comfort Where Needed
The homeowners gave the experts here at Synergy3 a call to see what we could recommend. After going through the home, we recommended a three-zone Bryant ductless system that could provide efficient electric heating and cooling, while keeping costs low.
A three-zone system would provide the additional comfort needed to the bedroom areas, and a third head could be located where it could provide additional comfort to the main gathering area of the home as well. This means each of the bedrooms can adjust the temperature at the touch of a button to make sure they provide a restful night’s sleep, summer or winter, while the wall unit in the main living space can provide the tough of heating or cooling needed to keep the home perfectly comfortable.
Read More: How Much Does A Ductless System Cost?
Why Ductless?
Bryant Ductless mini split systems like the one we were recommending are made up of two basic parts. One is an outdoor condenser unit, which can power up to 8 indoor cassettes or heads, that each provide a different area or zone of comfort inside. The heads can act as heaters or air conditioners, adjusting the temperature and humidity within a room and hold that comfort level over time.
Bryant ductless units are designed to use the minimum energy possible to maintain your perfect comfort level, and only cycle on or off when an adjustment is needed. The units are also designed with state-of-the-art sensors and a system that distributed the heaters or cooled air evenly across the space, eliminating hot and cold spots that are common with space heaters or window air conditioners. In fact, Bryant ductless systems are about 70% more efficient than baseboard heating and 30% more efficient providing air conditioning than traditional options, which can lead to huge savings in monthly energy bills. This makes ductless a great solution to add additional comfort, without worrying about propane tanks or other heating and cooling options that would simply jack up energy bills and operating costs.
Beauty, Inside and Out
As a vacation home in one of the most picturesque parts of Pennsylvania, we wanted to make sure that the heating and cooling units looked as good on the outside of the home as they did on the inside. That meant making sure we placed the units where they would maximize comfort, but not distract from the beauty of the home. And it meant going the extra mile to use home color coordinating “Line hides” on the outside of the home, to make sure the coolant lines needed to operate the individual heads blend into the outside of the home, mimicking existing gutters and corner details on the home.
Inside the home, we took extra effort to install the heads so there was little extra piping, making the look inside clean and attractive. As you can see from the pictures, the indoor unit is tucked away where it can provide comfort throughout the space while not intruding into the living space at all. And from this location, the advanced sensors can monitor the temperature and humidity throughout the main living space, and adjust the comfort level as needed, providing enhanced comfort- and relaxation- throughout this luxury retreat.
Cost-effective Enhancements
Because Bryant Ductless heating and cooling is so efficient, they qualify for rebates from most electric companies. That means additional savings that help make this affordable comfort solution even more attractive. Especially for a home that may be used as a rental property, efficient heating and cooling can help extend the rental season and allow guests to adjust the heating and cooling to suit with the touch of a button. And, with wi-fi enabled controls, the homeowners can even monitor their energy usage remotely, making sure that the temperature is adjusted appropriately, not only after rentals, but during sudden cold snaps, to avoid problems like burst pipes which can happen in homes that aren’t occupied all the time.
Read More: 6 Benefits Of Ductless HVAC
The Bottom Line
The homeowners were thrilled with the new system! They already are spending more time at their home during the summer, and are looking forward to the first cold days this fall to be able to add just that touch of heat they need to take the chill out of the great room, without having to heat the whole house. And we know they will be excited to receive the rebates from their energy company for adding this energy-efficient upgrade to their home. Even better, this upgrade will help reduce their monthly energy bills, even as they start to spend more time in this wonderful retreat! We hope we’re invited back as well!
If you have a home that has hot and cold spots or need an upgrade to your overall comfort, give us a call. Our experts can help inspect your current system and see what can be done to ensure you’re never uncomfortable again. Whether that’s inspecting and tuning up your current system, or discussing ways to supplement or replace an aging HVAC system, we can help you find a cost-effective way to bring additional comfort while reducing your overall energy bills- just give us a call today!