Best Ductless Heat Pumps for Old New England Homes (No Ductwork Required)

Why Old New England Homes Are Different

New England has one of the oldest housing stocks in the United States. A significant portion of homes in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine were built before 1950 — many before 1900. These homes were constructed with balloon framing, plaster-and-lath walls, minimal or zero insulation, and no provisions for ductwork. They were designed around cast-iron radiators, coal stoves, and later, oil-fired boilers. They were never intended to have forced-air systems of any kind.

This construction heritage makes these homes both excellent candidates for ductless heat pumps and uniquely challenging to heat efficiently. The lack of existing ductwork means you cannot install a conventional central ducted heat pump without major construction. But the room-by-room nature of the original heating system (radiators in each room) maps perfectly onto a multi-zone ductless system where each room gets its own independently controlled indoor head.

Old New England homes also carry distinctive challenges: balloon framing creates hidden air channels from basement to attic, plaster walls are difficult to insulate without destruction, and many homes sit in historic districts with exterior modification restrictions. Understanding these factors is essential to designing a ductless system that actually performs well in a 100-year-old house.

The 4 Challenges of Heating Old Homes

Before choosing equipment, you need to understand what makes an old home so much harder to heat than a modern one. These four challenges drive every system design decision.

Top Ductless Brands for Cold-Climate Performance

Not all ductless heat pumps are created equal, especially when temperatures drop below 0°F. Standard mini-splits lose significant heating capacity below 15°F and most shut down entirely below 5°F. For a New England old home — where the heating load is already high and the structure loses heat rapidly — you need a cold-climate rated unit that delivers full (or near-full) capacity at sub-zero temperatures. Here are the four brands we recommend for old New England homes.

System Design for Old Homes

Designing a ductless system for a pre-1950 home requires more thought than a modern home. You cannot simply count rooms and add heads. Each zone decision must account for the room's heat loss, its relationship to adjacent spaces, the structural constraints of old construction, and the homeowner's comfort priorities. Here is how we approach it.

Zone Planning

The goal is to identify which rooms need independent climate control and which rooms can share a zone. In an old home, bedrooms almost always need their own heads because of dramatic temperature differences between floors and between rooms facing different directions. Open-plan first floors (living room into dining room) can often share a single oversized head if the doorway between them is wide and always open.

Kitchens deserve careful attention. Old New England kitchens were often added as ells or extensions, poorly insulated and with lots of exterior wall area. They generate internal heat from cooking but lose heat rapidly through poorly insulated walls. A dedicated head for the kitchen is usually worthwhile in homes where the kitchen addition is thermally separated from the main structure.

Indoor Head Placement

In old homes with plaster walls, mounting a wall unit requires finding solid blocking behind the plaster. Wood lath behind plaster provides some support, but toggle bolts or backing plates are recommended for wall-mount units. Avoid mounting on interior plaster walls that separate from the studs — a common problem in 100-year-old homes where plaster keys have broken.

For rooms with high ceilings (10-12 feet, common in pre-1900 homes), mount the indoor head at standard height (7-8 feet) rather than at the ceiling. Mounting too high in a tall room directs heated air to the ceiling where it stratifies and wastes energy. Some installers default to ceiling height — insist on a lower mount in tall rooms.

Outdoor Unit Placement

Old homes often have limited side-yard space, and outdoor units need clearance from snow, ice, and dripping eaves. Place units on elevated platforms or wall brackets to keep them above snow accumulation. In New England, 18-24 inches of ground clearance is the minimum — 30 inches is better for heavy snow years. Avoid placing units under roof valleys or beneath areas where ice dams form. The dripping and refreezing cycle can encase the unit in ice, shutting it down.

Line Set Routing

Running refrigerant lines through old balloon-framed walls is challenging. The wall cavities are full of fire stops at random heights, old plumbing, and sometimes knob-and-tube wiring. Many installers route lines on the exterior using paintable line covers. For homes in historic districts, interior routing through closets, basements, and attic spaces is preferred to avoid visible exterior modifications.

The Air Sealing Question

The single most common question homeowners ask when converting an old home to heat pumps is: "Should I insulate and air seal first?" The answer is nuanced.

The practical approach is to size the heat pump for the home as it is today (with its current leakage), seal the major air leaks, and install the system. As you improve the envelope over time (adding insulation, replacing windows), your heat pump will simply run less and cost less to operate. Modern inverter-driven heat pumps modulate their output continuously — they naturally adapt to a tighter envelope by running at lower speed and using less electricity.

Mass Save, Efficiency Maine, Energize CT, and other state programs offer free home energy assessments that identify the biggest air leakage points. Many programs also offer free or subsidized air sealing as part of the assessment. Always schedule the energy assessment before your heat pump installation so you can address major leaks first and get an accurate picture of your heating load.

Working with Historic Commissions

If your old home is in a locally designated historic district or is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, you may need approval from a historic commission before installing exterior-visible equipment. Here is how to navigate the process.

Cost Examples by Home Type

The following scenarios represent the three most common old home types we see in our New England service area. Prices include equipment, installation, permits, and standard electrical work. They do not include air sealing, insulation upgrades, or knob-and-tube rewiring, which are separate projects. All prices reflect 2026 pricing with no federal tax credit (25C is expired).

State Rebates for Old Home Conversions

With the federal Section 25C tax credit expired, state rebates are the only significant financial incentive for residential heat pump installations. The good news: several New England states offer especially strong rebates, and some have enhanced incentives specifically for older homes or oil-to-heat-pump conversions. Federal HEAR rebates (up to $8,000 for income-qualified households) also remain available and stack with state programs.

Common Mistakes with Old Home Heat Pump Projects

Old New England homes are some of the most rewarding heat pump projects we do at NuWatt. The energy savings are dramatic — many homeowners switching from oil heat save $2,000-$4,500 per year — and the comfort improvement is transformative. Rooms that were always too cold or too hot finally become comfortable year-round. The key is working with an installer who understands the unique challenges of old construction: proper sizing, cold-climate equipment, careful line routing, and phased envelope improvements.

With state rebates still strong across New England and HEAR rebates available for income-qualified households, the economics remain favorable even without the expired federal tax credit. A well-designed ductless system in an old home typically pays for itself in 4-7 years through fuel savings alone — and delivers both heating and air conditioning from day one.