The OPC Workshop Can’t Come Soon Enough Home Improvement Appliances

June 28th, 2011 by Lee Jones

The OPC Workshop Can’t Come Soon Enough

As I write this, Im sitting about 8 feet from Red Shirt who talks rather loudly and 4 feet from Chatty Kathy and her sister. You guessed it- Im at Panera taking advantage of their free wifi. What you may not know is that an official One Project Closer shop is in the works. This workshop will serve as our testbed for new tools, a dedicated space for our how-to projects and an upgrade from working at Panera! Yeah, Im excited.

One of the challenges for designing the new shop is the best way to heat and cool it. Baltimore summers are muggy and usually hang out around 90° F. Winters tend to drop into the 20-30° F range. Today is actually kinda nice (see forecast), but well need conditioned air to make the workshop a four season space. Ive been investigating mini-split systems, and heres what I found.

If a central air system and a space heater got together, their offspring would be mini-splits. A mini-split system, also known as a ductless system, is a heating and cooling solution. Like central air, its comprised of an outdoor compressor/condenser and an indoor air-handling unit. Like a space heater, theres no ductwork, and theyre only good for a limited area.

These systems are great for additions, small apartments and areas that you cant run ductwork. We think one of these will be perfect for the OPC workshop.

As we peruse mini-split systems, a good SEER and HSPF ratio are important consideration, especially because heating and cooling accounts for about 43% of your utility bill.

SEER is short for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating, and it measures how efficiently a cooling system will operate over an entire season. SEER is easy to understand, and it even compensates for varying weather conditions. The higher SEER rating, the more energy efficiency. High-efficiency units have a SEER of at least 13.0 and can climb into the low 20s.

On the flip side, Heat Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) rates the efficiency of heat pumps. Like SEER, the higher the HSPF rating, the more energy efficient it is. HSPF is a ratio of the total heating output as compared to the total electricity consumed.

Theres lots of advantages to mini-split systems including their small size, flexibility and no ductwork. The biggest allure for us is the easy-ish installation. can setup almost every aspect of a mini split system. Installation involves preparing the location for the condenser/compressor, putting a hole in the wall, running the freon, drain and electric lines, and mounting the indoor unit. The final connections should be left for a licensed professional because theyll have the expensive equipment for evacuating the freon line, checking the pressure and flaring the connections. Manufacturers warranties require installation by a qualified professional, and I this scenario still meets that need.

The biggest disadvantage for a ductless system is that they can be pricey! Look to pay about $1,500–$2,000 per ton (12,000 Btu per hour) of cooling capacity. Thats not to mention the costs associated with hiring a pro for the final connections. Ouch!

Any readers have a mini-split? Are we making a good choice?!

Home Improvement Appliances