Project Location: Morro Bay, California
Completion Date: August 2014
Challenge
Selecting an efficient cooling and heating system to provide comfort without wastefully conditioning unused spacesSolution
Zoned Comfort Solutions® from Mitsubishi ElectricResult
A spacious and comfortable beach cottage controlled through kumo cloud®
Brad and Marian Loomis have live in their 726-square-foot beach cottage in Morro Bay, California, for over 30 years. In 2013, they decided to revamp the cottage and double its size. By August 2015, they’d added an additional 724 square feet to transform their tiny cottage into a comfortable and roomy 1,450-square-foot home. During the renovation, the Loomises realized they needed an efficient way to cool their house during the summer and gain more personalized comfort year-round. To achieve these goals for their home, they selected Zoned Comfort Solutions® from Mitsubishi Electric.
During the initial construction stages, Brad, an HVAC contractor by trade, believed installing an updated forced air system would be the best option for his home. He contacted a long-time friend and previous colleague, Phil Kispersky, president and owner, Sloco Heating & Cooling, Inc., Morro Bay, California, to get another expert opinion.
Upon inspecting the home, Kispersky realized that installing a ducted, forced-air system was not a viable solution. “A ducted system was going to be difficult to do because of the space constraints, and Brad wouldn’t get individual room comfort. It would be difficult to change the temperature from the office to the master bedroom, and the living room and dining room would have to be the same. Brad wanted to be able to cool each room on its own.”
Without the ability to install a ducted system, Kispersky offered another solution—ductless zoned technology. This would offer Brad everything he and his wife wanted for their new and improved home: energy efficiency, adequate cooling in the summer and year-round individualized comfort. Brad agreed with Kispersky’s suggestion: “We were looking for zone control because we didn’t want to have to cool or heat all spaces. We wanted to turn off the system when no one was in there. The idea for zoning was to not have to cool or heat an entire house like you have to do with forced air. Zoning systems are particularly energy-efficient too.”
Upon Brad’s selection of zoned technology for the cottage, Kispersky recommended Zoned Comfort Solutions from Mitsubishi Electric. “Mitsubishi Electric was my first choice. They are far superior in their technology, and—most of all—in customer happiness. I’ve never had anyone complain or say they are unhappy with a Mitsubishi Electric installation. Customers are borderline ecstatic because it does everything it says it’s going to do, and if I’m going to sell a customer, in this case, a friend, like Brad, I couldn’t offer a better product. It’s going to be more expensive but it’s worth it.”
Although initially concerned about whether zoned technology from Mitsubishi Electric would fit into the budget, Brad believed it would be the best option for the home to achieve instantaneous comfort. “It was about twice as much as a forced-air system would have been, though that figure does not take into account the amount of ductwork with forced air. But these heat pumps are quiet and provide fast cooling and heating.”
With Zoned Comfort Solutions selected, installation proceeded. Kispersky appreciated how he and his team were able to stay within the project budget: “We didn’t go a penny over.” He also noted how his distributor, US Air Conditioning Distributors, Inc., City of Industry, California, helped ease the installation process. “They always perform well for us and are very supportive of our work.”
Since installation, Brad has been pleased with his decision. “The actual installation of the systems was relatively painless. We moved back in after the remodel and could turn it all on and immediately have cooling and heating. Other technologies are inefficient so it’s a no brainer to go with these heat pumps.” He’s also been pleased with the immediate results: “They heat the rooms very fast, and we’re in central California so we use more heating than cooling. They are super-efficient and we love having air conditioning in the summer.”
In terms of comfort, Kispersky noted how the zoned technology, once again, has lived up to its expectations. “They’re absolutely delighted with the comfort. Marian likes her space warmer than Brad’s, and they typically don’t live in the living and dining room so they don’t condition that space very much. They keep other spaces at their personalized comfort. It’s the ideal. Mitsubishi Electric condition.”
To control the comfort of their three zones, the couple invested in the kumo cloud® programmable controller app by Mitsubishi Electric. Brad said, “It’s a very good solution. We can look at the temperatures on my phone or my wife’s. kumo cloud is a vast improvement from the hand-held remote. You can monitor the house right at your fingertips, and you have. access to everything from anywhere. You can see the status on your phone, and it allows you to make any adjustments that you want—you can program rooms to go on and off at various times of the day.”
Looking back on the project, Brad believes that because of Zoned Comfort Solutions, he and his. wife now have the comfort they’ve always wanted in their home. “Before, we had the forced air system on 365 days a year because it was drafty in the house. Now, our house heats. up in less than 20 minutes and it isn’t a ‘drafty cracker box’ anymore. Mitsubishi Electric’s new technology has been really brilliant and it shows some great innovation.”
Project Team
- HVAC Contractor: Sloco Heating & Cooling, Inc., Morro Bay, California
- Distributor: US Air Conditioning Distributors, Inc., City of Industry, California
Mitsubishi Electric Equipment Installed
- (2) MUZ M-Series Outdoor Units
- (1) SUZ M-Series Outdoor Unit
- (2) MSZ Wall-mounted Indoor Units
- (1) SLZ 4-Way Ceiling-cassette Indoor Unit
- (4) PAC Wi-Fi Interfaces
- (1) kumo cloud® programmable controller app
