Fujitsu Wins Rural Pennsylvania Home Tug-of-War

When they built their two-story, 3,000 s.f. home in rural Lancaster County, PA seven years ago, the Thomas’ were sure that the bonus room above the three-bay garage would be used for storage.  But eventually their interest in using most of the space as a media room won the tug-of-war. 

When Dave Yates, president of York, PA-based F. W. Behler, Inc. was called in to offer an opinion, he recommended a ductless split system heat pump by Fujitsu. The installation was completed by two professionals in less than three hours.  Today, the Thomas’ enjoy year-round comfort with 20 SEER, and 10 HSPF operational efficiency – almost off the charts for standard (non-geothermal) HVAC systems available today.   

While inspecting the home, Yates learned that it had two central HVAC systems; one for the first floor and a separate one for the upper floor.  He determined that the new media room – because of its size, the challenge of heating and cooling the space above a non-conditioned garage, and with so much exposure to western wind and sun – was a larger load than the existing equipment could handle without major changes.

“This job was ideally suited to use a ductless system which would condition the interior space right where, and when, the family wanted it,” said Yates.  “This technique saves energy by containing the heat or air conditioning.”

Mini splits are ideally suited for home improvement, whether an existing central air system is installed, or not.  This approach can be less expensive and less disruptive than retrofitting an existing HVAC system. 

Sleek, new mini-splits with variable speed “inverter” technology have been in use for several decades in Eastern and European countries and now they’re catching on in the USA as energy costs continue their upward spiral.  The notion that every room in a home must be conditioned to the same temperature – all the time – is losing its appeal among Americans.

Punch the gas?  Or feather it?

Old school, on-off technology for any type of HVAC equipment is rapidly losing its appeal here in the land of plenty.  With this old-style technology, it’s like driving your car with the gas pedal glued to the floor and controlling it purely by turning the ignition key on or off!

The new approach – and one that made sense to the Thomas family – is the use of equipment that continuously modulates its energy production to match heat loss and gain. That’s like feathering the gas pedal in your automobile to meet the speed you need. Toss in new “automatic modulation” and you get ultra-high efficiency operation, complete with the chauffer to drive the car.

All the homeowner needs to do is to set the desired temperature or humidity level and leave the rest up to the equipment.  The “brain” behind it all is a computerized logic module in the outdoor unit that communicates with system sensors and the indoor unit.

Ultimately, the homeowner is rewarded with a whisper-quiet comfort system that gingerly sips electrical current, is better for the environment, and goes in fast.  Professionals like it for the same reason. 

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