Central A/C vs. Split units air conditioning

amother

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 10:53 am

Which one do you have? What would u choose? I want to hear why on e is better than the other

challahchallah

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 2:26 pm

Separate units are nice because you can control each space individually and not pay to cool areas you’re not in. The downside is that because the compressor is in the room with you, it’s much louder. With central air, the compressor is usually in the yard so you can’t hear much in the house. Also, the airflow in central air is usually better so it can be more effective. Central air with multiple zones is really the best of both worlds.

amother

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 6:35 pm

Your responses are very helpful. Has any of you done in floor heating as well? Debating if I should do tiles and heating in it or wood floors with radiators?

amother

Babypink

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 6:43 pm

amother [ Cyan ] wrote:

We have central. You don't have those ugly units. And we have 7 zones.

You have 7 zones ?!?!?!?! Yowza!

amother

Gold

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 7:43 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Your responses are very helpful. Has any of you done in floor heating as well? Debating if I should do tiles and heating in it or wood floors with radiators?

my parents just did heat under the tiles. its very expensive but does pretty much the same job as radiators and for sure looks much nicer!

amother

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 8:22 pm

How about in floor heating with tiles or wood in the bedrooms. I like tiles. But everyone saying it’s not practical

tweety1

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 8:47 pm

We have in floor heating around the whl house tiles and wood floors. Best thing ever. We also have split units. Love how we can control each zone separately. We have abt 8 zones between our whl house. Love love how the heating/cooling system came out. Initial installation for in floor heating is expensive but pays off cuz monthly heating bill is much cheaper.

amother

Cyan

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 8:48 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

How about in floor heating with tiles or wood in the bedrooms. I like tiles. But everyone saying it’s not practical

It's practical. We have radiant heat with tile and treated wood. It's so nice and cozy.

Are you building or renovating?

happy12

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 9:58 pm

challahchallah wrote:

Split units have the compressor outside (hence they are called split unit, part is outside and part is inside) . They are very quiet inside compared to standard air conditioner units.

amother

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 10:28 pm

I’m building and so many decisions to make. Thanks for all your responses. Any important tips and advice that u regret or are happy with when building are appreciated ladies!!

nylon

Tue, Dec 03 2019, 11:47 pm

Split you have to deal with the units on the walls (and a connection to the compressor).

Central you need to have duct work and not all houses can have it installed.

Personally I prefer central and it adds value to the house. My house is new enough to have hot air heat, so it uses a single set of ducts and no baseboards or radiators.

Efficiency wise, if you are running all the split units regularly, I don't think it's more efficient. If you need to be able to shut off part of the house or everyone likes different temps, the split units come in handy.

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Dec 04 2019, 12:04 am

The ducts for splits are much smaller than for central A/C. There are situations where splits can fit where a regular central unit cannot — this is often the case with older homes.

We currently have window units in our 1 1/2 story home. A very experienced A/C guy recommended that our main floor be central and the second floor be splits.

In an all new construction you can plan for the space needed for central air ductwork, and zone the house.

nchr

Wed, Dec 04 2019, 7:34 am

We have central a/c in a 6,000 sf home and my electric bill has never been more than $170 dollars. I know separate units would cost more. Floor heating is more expensive to run than regular gas radiators, and we have it only in our bathrooms.

amother

Chocolate

Wed, Dec 04 2019, 8:09 am

The problems with putting heat under the floor are
1, it takes a while heat up a room, and
2, if something needs to be repaired, you may have to take up the flooring to get access to the pipes.
I wouldn't do it.

amother

Cyan

Wed, Dec 04 2019, 9:36 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I’m building and so many decisions to make. Thanks for all your responses. Any important tips and advice that u regret or are happy with when building are appreciated ladies!!

You should hire an energy consultant. My utility bills are less than my friend with a house a quarter of the size of mine. You should foam the home.

Where are you building?

We have radiant heat properly installed. This means the heat doesn't need to heat up the ground first. The rooms get toasty right away. The heat is less dry and the room is universally the same temperature.

The hose is what is below the floor. They don't break so readily.

My advice is not to skimp on the systems.

amother

Ruby

Wed, Dec 04 2019, 9:40 am

I hate central air - I find that it dries the air out too much! And I much prefer to be able to control the temp in each room. But we typically only cool rooms as absolutely needed, and only to about 78-80, so I am pretty sure it's cheaper for us to have units in each room. If you or dh are the kind of person that just can't stand the heat and need every room at 72 all the time, central might be more cost effective.