Ductless system is like a newly-packaged, super-upgraded version of anything designed for single-room and whole-home cooling and heating. With the way it has created opportunities to resolve the many concerns related to traditional air conditioning systems, the innovative ductless mini split system has no doubt excited the HVAC world and changed the way we experience comfort. Here’s a thing about ductless mini splits: More than getting rid of the bulky and costly ductwork that make traditional systems less effective than intended and less efficient than imagined, ductless mini splits made possible what everyone aspired for in a home space cooling and heating system—effective, powerful, versatile, efficient, and cost-saving HVAC system. Now, imagine something better.

A ductless system that offers “a lot more”; something that reinvents what is already a great solution. Driven by the goal to keep things greater that it already is, Panasonic unveils its array of powerful ductless solutions that promise to deliver greater performance, greater efficiency, and greater comfort. To acquaint you with what have been considered as among the top cooling and heating systems in the market today, this article will review Panasonic’s ductless mini split solutions. By tackling how these series of high-efficiency and high-performance units embody the high-degree of HVAC innovation, it is hoped that you will be able to properly discern and choose the right system for your home.

A pioneering leader in comprehensive air conditioning systems, Panasonic has laid the groundwork for reinventing the way ductless systems are set up and made to work as an even more efficient and effective solution. We would not lack of systems to be used as examples here, but if there’s anything that best encapsulates this innovativeness and forward-thinking, it would be Panasonic’s most touted Total Home Comfort Solution. Designed for whole-home cooling and heating, Total Home Comfort Solution is a fully integrated system that ingeniously combines high energy-efficient mini split units with powerful, customizable ventilation fan system that enables balanced, effective, precise, and efficient delivery and distribution of airflows throughout different rooms inside the house. Total Home Comfort Solution makes use of Panasonic’s Exterios ductless split system, WhisperGreen™ Select ventilation fan, and WhisperComfort™ Select ventilation fan or Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). Together, these advanced technologies create a solution that turned out, arguably, as the “industry’s first complete total home comfort system.” The whole Panasonic Total Home Comfort Solution operates simple but very efficient and effective. To better understand how it works, just imagine having a two-level house and you are using this system as a primary heating and cooling solution. To understand how this works, let us say that your two-storey home has three or four rooms situated in the upper and lower levels, including a bathroom. To achieve whole-home cooling or heating, the first step is to install Panasonic’s Exterios ductless split system. Like any typical ductless system configuration, you will have to install the compressor unit in any suitable location outside the house. Unlike normal ductless mini split multiple-zone installation, Panasonic only requires one indoor unit or air handler, which you can conveniently install in the living room. For the rest of the rooms, you will have to install the WhisperGreen Select vent fans. As for the bathroom, you can install another of these WhisperGreen Select vent fan. During cooling operation, for instance, the outdoor compressor unit delivers cool air which is properly circulated to the living room through the installed ductless air handler. The conditioned air is subsequently distributed to the different rooms through the WhisperGreen Select vent fan system, which is powerful enough to deliver the airflow (CFM output) needed to cool the specific spaces even at 0.25-inch static pressure. The same process happens if you are using the unit during Winter to heat your home. As a supporting system designed to improve the indoor air quality, a WhisperGreen Select vent fan that is installed in the main bathroom works to control the growth of mold and mildew and eventually helps remove the polluted air inside the house. Here are the sample components when installing the solution for a one-bedroom unit with a square footage of 500-1,000 square-feet and a two-bedroom unit with a size of 800-1,600 square-feet: Configuration Components 1-Bedroom (500-1,000 square-feet) 1 wall-mounted heat pump unit (indoor), 1 wall-mounted heat pump (outdoor), WhisperGreen Select™ 50-80-110 CFM distribution fan, WhisperGreen Select™ 50-80-110 CFM exhaust fan and motion sensor module. 2-bedroom (800-1,600 square-feet 1 wall-mounted heat pump unit (indoor), 1 wall-mounted heat pump unit (outdoor), WhisperGreen Select™ 110-130-150 CFM distribution fan and multi-speed module, WhisperGreen Select™ 50-80-110 CFM exhaust fan an motion sensor module, and WhisperComfort™ Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV).

Indeed, the quality of air inside the home contributes to our experience or nonexperience of comfort. The United States’ Environmental Protection Agency warns that the air that we breathe inside our homes is 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air that we get outside. The agency also reports that on the average, 72% of our chemical exposure happens at home. Coincidentally, some studies suggest that most Americans spend more amount of time indoors than outdoors. The risk is very real and Panasonic recognizes a need to step up and make its system a platform to protect health while providing temperature comfort. “A lot more people don’t realize that the homes they live in are actually more polluted than the outdoor air they breathe between things such as outgassing from paints finishes to carpeting,” says Panasonic Regional Sales Manager Bret Gundersen. “You’re trapping a lot of pollutants in the home. If that air is allowed to stay inside the house and not exhausted out, you create bad indoor air quality,” he adds. Typically, the buildup of stale, contaminated air is caused by the lack of fresh air that circulates inside the home. This is not in the very least surprising at all given that many homes today—driven by efforts to conserve energy—are designed as airtight than ever. This results to lack of fresh air indoors which aggravates the buildup of airborne pollutants that are responsible for a score of common health issues that occasionally afflict us and our families. With indoor air pollution tagged by EPA as one of the top five environmental health risks, Panasonic—through its Total Home Comfort Solution—readily tackled the challenges head on. Through the Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV), Panasonic introduces a way to achieve cleaner indoor air while the system is working to provide cooling or heating comfort. ERV works to replace the stale air indoors with a fresh air from outside while it is in the process of transferring the heat from the air that is exhausted to the incoming air. Panasonic’s Ductless Mini Split Systems: Features and Functionalities Generally, Panasonic’s ductless mini split solutions consist of sleekly designed, highly versatile air conditioner and heat pump systems that are best to use for single-zone and multi-zone cooling and heating—either for residential or light commercial applications. Available in different types (wall-mounted, 4-way ceiling cassette, and low-profile ducted) and varying cooling and heating capacities (from 9,000 Btu/h to 24,000 Btu/h), these systems are built with the following features  

• ECONAVI Dual/Mono sensor. Activity detection and area search
• Room freeze protection. Prevents plumbing damage and enables the unit to automatically turn on the compressor for heat pump operation if the room temperature falls to about 46°F.
• Microprocessor-controlled operation. Ensures that the temperature and humidity levels in the room are always comfortable.
• Wireless remote control. Enables you to adjust and set the temperature, sweep (louver control) fan speeds, timer and more for complete automatic operation.
• Dry-mode. Enables precise control based on room temperature to allow efficient air dehumidification.
• 5-fan speeds and automatic fan operation. Enables you to adjust the fan speed to High, Medium or Low.
• Air-sweep control. Allows you to move the louver up and down in the air outlet so that the air can be directed in a “sweeping” motion around the room.
• Base pan heater. Prevents the condensate to freeze and allow a very low ambient operation.
• 1-hour OFF timer. Enables the unit to operate for one hour, then switch off automatically.
• 24-hour clock with ON/OFF program timer. Allows you to set a wide variety of timer-based operations.
•  Hot start heating system. Prevents any cold blasts at the beginning while the heat pump is warming up (for heat pump unit only).
• Built-In drain pump. Allows the drain line to meet the minimum gravity flow requirements.
• Low ambient. Ranges from 5°F to -15°F.
• Electric refrigerant control valve. Helps control the circulation volume of the refrigerant to attain optimum efficiency.
• Quiet-mode. Allows low fan speed for extra quiet operation.
• Filter sign. Informs you when filter maintenance is necessary.
• Self-diagnosis function. Allows the unit to diagnose malfunctions which help reduce costs on maintenance.
• Anti-microbial filter. Helps prevent the growth of mold and mildew and ensure cleaner and healthier indoor air.
• Blue-fin condenser. Protects the condenser from elements which can be corrosive.

True to its innovative character, Panasonic has developed cutting-edge technologies that help drive all the efficiencies and powerful performance of its ductless mini split solutions. Creating the difference, these excellent innovations include the following: • High-efficiency compressor. Panasonic’s high-efficiency compressor is among the highest efficiency compressor systems that are utilized for air conditioning systems today. Boasting of wide power output that ranges from 2,800 Btu/h up to 23,000 Btu/h, this system exhibits accurate operation at less than 1 ampere.

• Inverter technology. Helping maximized the performance of the compressor system, the inverter mechanism provides precise operation and low energy-consumption, which in turn allow for quiet operation, precise temperature control, quick cooling and heating, as well as substantial energy savings. Using this technology will enable you to achieve maximum efficiencies possible even under high-load conditions
• ECONAVI Technology. A high-precision sensor technology, ECONAVI works by detecting human presence and activity inside the room, which enables it to change the airflow direction according to the detected room occupancy condition. This greatly helps in ensuring maximum comfort experience. When the sensor detects no human activity inside the room, the unit is programmed to use less amount of energy, which is a great advantage in terms of energy-savings.

Central to its ductless mini split offerings, Exterios XE exemplifies Panasonic’s delivery of high-efficiency and high-performance systems. Considered as among the most energy-efficient cooling and heating systems that are available today, these excellent models boast of 30.6 SEER, 14.0 HSPF, and an array of excellent features that include the ECONAVI’s intelligent dual sensor, inverter technology, powerful heating capability even when the ambient temperature drops to -15ºF, base pan heater that prevents frozen condensate, and the auxiliary/emergency heat connector that is used to provide extra heat, whether during extreme weather condition or in case of outdoor unit failure. Utilizing smart control, this system also comes with easy-to-operate wireless remote controller and an optional wired remote controller. Additionally, it brings smart control capability by enabling you control the unit directly from your smartphone or tablet. The Internet Control Adaptor also works to give you control over comfort by allowing you to adjust the temperature settings depending on your specific comfort needs or preference.

Panasonic mini splits costs around $500 up to $4000. Using ComfortUp price ranges, the lowest available price is $507.99 for a 16 SEER Pro Series ductless mini split wall-mount indoor unit with a rated capacity of 9,000 BTU. This is the Panasonic model CS-RE9SKUA. The highest-priced unit is the Panasonic model named U-42PE1U6, which is 14.6 SEER ductless mini split heat pump outdoor unit with a rated capacity of 42,000 BTU. For a selection of other high efficiency, high-performance Panasonic ductless mini split systems, you can visit .