HVAC!

[Josh P.]

Hi guys!

I have a 3 unit apartment building. Currently doing corporate rentals with the bottom two.

Its an older home, brick, but no insulation between the bottom and top and none in the walls.

Thought about applying insulation but even DIY foam kits are cost prohibitive and the coverage is iffy anyway because you can't really see what your doing.

There is duct work under the house. Currently one package unit handles both apartments, a throwback to when it was one apartment before I split the bottom into two equal sized units.

Corporate tenants expect good things, so I have to give them separate control, which either means adding another package unit and splitting the old rusting ductwork, or putting in a mini split system, which I figure will be more efficient

I guess my question is, in a house with not much insulation, would a mini split more efficient than a package unit for a person like me who is paying all the bills?

[Dave Barnard]

If all the ducting under the house is accessible, it would be very easy to install a zoning system. This may require some modifications to the ducting system, however this will give your tenants the control they are after while saving you alot of money on 2 mini splits. Mini splits are nice for small places and are efficient but the zoning will be less out of pocket up front. If the electric bill your paying is the main concern, I would probably go with high efficiency mini splits if the apartments are small. If they are larger with more than one bedroom I would stay with the package system (wich can be upgraded to a high efficiency model) and add zoning.