Bellefonte-
The Queen B&B

The Story

The Queen, in Bellefonte, has been transformed from a handsome home into a charming Bed & Breakfast. It’s a gorgeous building, but it lacks the ductwork required to operate central heating and air conditioning. 

Historic homes are beautiful, but they are often expensive to heat and cool. When large Victorian homes like this beautiful one in Bellefonte were constructed, builders would purposely locate a house on a lot to capture winter sun and summer cross breezes. Air conditioning didn’t exist, and homes that had heating beyond fireplaces relied on big boilers and steam radiators to keep the homes warm in the winter. Insulation wasn’t nearly as effective as it is today, so these homes are known for leaking hot and cold air, making them expensive to maintain with heating and cooling bills off the charts. 

Centre County weather is unpredictable. With extreme humidity in the summer and extreme cold in the winter, the owners knew they needed more than just their window air conditioning units and baseboard hot water heat. They were receiving complaints from guests about the temperature in rooms – something a B&B owner certainly does not want. The owners also needed to make sure that the solution they chose would have minimum impact on the historic beauty of the home. 

The owners of The Queen had a Mitsubishi ductless system installed by another contractor, but they weren’t seeing the results they anticipated. The system that was installed consisted of six indoor units and two outdoor units, and yet the rooms remained uncomfortable in every season. That’s when the owners called Goodco to come out and assess the situation. 

We were excited when the owner of The Queen, Nancy Noll, called us to see if we could help her out. Goodco Mechanical is the region’s only Diamond Elite contractor for Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating. We’ve installed over 1,000 Mitsubishi ductless systems, so we’ve seen it all and know how to properly size a system for efficient results. 

As a business owner, it was important to Nancy to make sure her business is running efficiently and since heating and cooling an historic Victorian home can add a lot to your overhead, making sure you have the proper system for both comfort and efficiency is important. 

After taking a look at the system and diagnosing the problem, the Good Guys knew that the sizing was incorrect. By condensing the system and running refrigerant piping to the units, we were able to get the system running correctly and efficiently. 

Now Nancy and her guests are able to enjoy the whisper quiet, efficient, and customizable system she had been seeking all along without needing a whole new installation.

The System

The system itself is ideal for the home. Ductless, true to its name, doesn’t require ducts, so it can be placed just about anywhere with minimal disruption to a home. The indoor units hang on the wall, out of the way, and are unobtrusive. They can provide both heating and cooling to any room they are in, and they monitor humidity as well, ensuring that each zone can be comfortable at the touch of a button. They also eliminate the need for bulky window units, keeping the home’s facade looking perfect all year long.

This system also creates separate zones of heating and cooling, allowing each guest to adjust the temperature to suit their needs. This flexible solution also enables the owners to turn off the heating and cooling to rooms that aren’t occupied, saving big money on energy bills. 

The ductless units also provide great air conditioning; evenly distributed throughout the space by the push of a remote control button and eliminating the need for window air conditioning units. Through all of Central Pennsylvania’s crazy weather, Nancy’s improved system will also work efficiently in the Winter. The technology is so efficient; it can substantially reduce costs to heat her cozy B&B. It will work in tandem with the traditional baseboard system to add just that extra level of comfort when needed, exactly where it’s needed most.