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- If you have neither the crawl space nor the budget to invest in ductwork, a ductless mini-split system is a good alternative. At first glance, you may think that a ductless system is a large, wall-mount air conditioner. However, the indoor unit is actually the evaporator. Ductless systems also have an outdoor unit that houses the condenser and compressor, and looks like a traditional central air system. You can install a ductless system in one main room and put evaporator units in other rooms to set up various "cooling zones." Each room with an evaporator gets its own thermostat, so you can set different cooling temperatures or turn the unit off when no one is in the room. Ductless systems are a good alternative for those who live in apartments and condominiums, and for those who want to retrofit an older home with air conditioning without having to invest in ductwork.
- Heat pumps also share similarities with central air conditioning systems. They can be used for cooling as well as heating, similar to a whole home HVAC system. One additional thing that you can do with a heat pump system is connect it to a hot water heater. If you set up your configuration that way, your central air conditioning will essentially be free. The refrigerant in the heat pump will convert the residual moisture from the water heater into cool air and vent it into rooms, just like a central air conditioning system. Unlike ductless alternatives, heat pump air conditioners require a duct system.
- An evaporative cooler (also called a "swamp cooler") is a good alternative for those who live in dry climates with little humidity. They extract the warm air inside of the home, pass it over water-saturated pads, evaporate the water, reduce the temperature of the air by 15 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, then push the cooled air into the rooms and send the warm air outdoors. Unlike central air systems that essentially recycle the same air into the home, evaporative coolers introduce a steady stream of fresh air into the home.
- Geothermal alternatives are new to many people but they have actually been around since the late 1940s. They are a variation of a heat pump; however, geothermal systems use the Earth as the heat "exchange media." The below-surface temperature of the Earth remains constant, even when above-surface temperatures reach hot and cold extremes. The geothermal heat pump converts the heat from the Earth to energy for cooling or heating. A geothermal system can have a system life span of 25 years for the indoor components and 50 years or more for the underground components and, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, they use 25 to 50 percent less electricity than traditional central air conditioning systems. Like a central system, a geothermal system can also provide heating.
Ductless Mini-Split System
Heat Pumps
Evaporative Coolers
Geothermal
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