It used to be so easy. You stick an air conditioner in your window every summer, store it in the basement over the winter and that’s it.
Now there are options.
We decided to look into these options once our window units started breaking down. Now here we are. Weather is warming up and we are without A/C’s for 2 rooms.
Back to 2006 when we did a semi gut restoration of this house, it would have been feasible to install central air. Two things stopped us from doing this. 1) We were hemorrhaging money on this renovation and couldn’t afford the cost or time. 2) There were still plenty of original plaster walls that we didn’t want to destroy by running ducts.
Through-the-wall units would let us avoid the problem of having to move the air conditioners in and out of the windows, but that seems to be the only positive thing about it. A hole has to be cut through the exterior for each unit. Then what happens in winter? You can cover it, but it probably still compromises your heat.
Which leaves us with a ductless/split system. These systems are pricier than window units but cost less than central air. Two or more evaporators can be hooked up to a single condenser. In the long run, splits may not be as thrifty as central if cooling the entire home, but our ship has already sailed.
Why is it called “split”? The cooling evaporator sits on your interior wall while the condenser is located outside the house. Many people put the condensers up on the roof or in the yard (city yards are probably a tad on the small side).
The unit stays mounted on the interior wall throughout the year. Are they nice looking? No. Can you make a lovely cover for them? Sure.
Unlike a window or portable unit, the split system should be installed by a professional.
If anyone has any more info, please share! I’m just starting to research this myself.