Single Head Minisplits / Air Circulation / Insurance – at odds?
There seems to be a consensus on this forum that single head (unducted) minisplits are the preferable way to heat and cool in many situations. When posters raise concerns about all the heating/cooling coming from a single source, the suggestion is often given to leave the doors open.
I was surprised last week to get a letter from my insurance company that included a request that the insureds make a pledge to “Close bedroom doors at night.” because a closed door delays the spread of fire and gives time to escape. The letter includes a note that the insurer reviewed new safety products showcased a this years CES (Consumer Electronics Show) including “products in development that will even close doors for you.”
Does anyone know what those products are and if they address moving conditioned air between rooms?
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CL, yes, some (or many, or most) insurance companies require, as does the building code, that every room can be automatically heated to 68°F. On the high performance homes I design we include wires for electric baseboard heat in rooms that don't have a heat pump head.
Single-head systems can work well in smaller homes with an excellent building envelope. They are not an all-purpose solution for conventional construction.
I don't have experience with self-closing door hardware but maybe this will bump the thread to someone who does.