[shadytrees]

PTACs suck. Well-maintained, newer models suck less, but they still suck. Unless well-insulated, the sleeves leak air (and humidity). And there's a duopoly between Ice Air and Islandaire, so they get to charge more for maintenance. They benefit from the trend of maintenance for older models being a yearly chore also.

From what I understand, PTACs started as a convenient way to retrofit apartments with air conditioning. You don't need ductwork, which I believe is more expensive in the concrete buildings around here. Also, I think you need protected refrigerant sleeves to meet code here, but only if the sleeves go from one floor to another (someone just told me this fact today, and i haven't verified this).

BTW that PTAC's thermostat dial in the link doesn't have numbers around the dial, which I think is honest. No A/C unit I've ever owned has managed to have a thermostat that read the temperature I was feeling consistently. It makes me think the apartment was built before the late 2010s though -- still feels new but a generation ago in HVAC terms. Mini-splits seem to have arrived, even for <1M condos. Talking to the mini-split contractors I had over recently for a squeaky noise, I got the feeling that business was booming. They had every day in the summer booked months in advance.

[Maxion]

The PTAC units shown in the article look like something from the 1950s. Minisplits have been the way the world has done AC for a long long time now. It's interesting how foreign of a product it is in the US.

[dn3500]

It uses R-22 so it's pretty old, but probably not 1950s. Maybe 1970s. R-22 was phased out starting in the 1980s, and banned in 2010 (that's in Europe, maybe later in US).

When I lived in the US I tried to get a minisplit and they wanted $4000 for a medium size unit! The same one where I live now is $400 installed.

[chem83]

Agree with the mini split observation. Mostly ductless, but sometimes ducted. Specifically, they're heat pumps, which removes the need to add an oil or gas furnace and works reasonably well for NYC winter when there's modern foam-based insulation and windows. Those 4-6 story new-construction or gut-level renovation buildings in Brooklyn have largely gone that route.