Bobeck Success Creates a Copy Cat

In spring 2003, Mark Bobeck addressed a long-standing summer problem in his Houston, Texas home built in the 1970s. He had a hot spot in his U-shaped house that was always uncomfortable during the summer months. The existing ducted system could not handle the heat and humidity load and was running non-stop to try and adequately cool the right side of the U, including the living room, kitchen and dining room. This right wing was separated from the left by a cathedral ceiling, making it impossible to add more ductwork for additional cooling.

Discovering an Innovative Solution
Through his own research, Bobeck discovered an innovative ductless cooling and heating system made by Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating Solutions, Suwanee, Ga. The system offered a ductless, easy to install, totally unique INVERTER technology that was energy efficient and required only a 3-inch opening in the wall to connect the indoor and outdoor units. The product was appealing because no costly ducts were required, there would be no unsightly window units, the installation was simple (less than one day) and the high-efficiency rating promised abundant energy savings.

Mitsubishi Electric Offers Super Solution for the Bobeck House
Bobeck located Brent Cartwright, Cartwright Distributing Company, Inc., Houston. After an introduction to the split-ductless technology, Cartwright installed an MU12TN outdoor unit (12,000btu/h) and an MS12TN indoor unit on the right side of the Bobeck U. The installation took less than eight hours with close to zero construction mess.

“This technology is an absolutely wonderful solution for our hot spot need,” said Bobeck. “The split-ductless system not only comfortably cools this side of the house, but the cool comfort succeeds in reaching the existing thermostat for the main unit and rest of the house, virtually shutting it down for long periods of time. Over the past 12 months, this has resulted in substantial energy savings.”

Copy Cat
In summer 2004, Deborah Lake, an editor at the Houston Chronicle, received a package describing the Bobeck success story. She immediately recognized that the Bobeck house was built the same year as her house (1973), was practically in the same neighborhood and had resolved a cooling quandary identical to her own. That very night, she and her husband paid Bobeck a visit. The happy ending is that the Lake household now has a cooling solution and is saving a bundle on energy bills.