A new type of heating and cooling
system has been slowly making its
way across the Pacific and into the
U.S. and Canadian marketplaces.
"Ductless mini-split" air conditioners
and heat pumps, which are used
in over three-quarters of all new
homes in Japan, are now sold in
North America by at least eight
companies. Most of the systems are
Japanese, and most brands have
been introduced into the U.S. and
Canada within the past five years.
At their current cost of roughly
$2,000 per ton of cooling, the minisplits
are probably too expensive to
compete with conventional ducted
heating and cooling systems for new
house construction. But they do provide
a quick and easy way to add
zoned cooling to