Step 1: Is a Ductless Mini Split Right for Your Home?

At HVAC Options, we understand that choosing a heating and cooling system is more than just a purchase—it is a journey toward improved comfort and efficiency.

A ductless mini split can meet your HVAC needs, whether you are building a home addition, remodeling a detached garage, or looking for a whole-house solution.

Specifically, it provides a form of heating and cooling that enables you to customize your comfort while reaping savings from reduced energy use in your City #1, ST#1, home.

Going ductless can be a rewarding experience from start to finish. We want to help you become better informed about ductless mini splits as you consider planning, funding, and installing this popular HVAC system.

Let’s dive into what sets ductless mini splits apart from centralized HVAC systems—and how you can benefit from a ductless system.

What Is a Ductless Mini Split?

This compact system heats and cools your home without the need for ductwork. It has two main components:

Outdoor Unit: Similar to a ducted heat pump or central AC unit, the outdoor equipment includes a compressor and a condenser.
Indoor Unit: The sleek, wall- or ceiling-mounted indoor unit houses an evaporator coil and a fan that blows conditioned air into the room where it is installed. You can connect one or more indoor air handling units to the outdoor unit for different parts of your home. Each indoor unit includes a temperature controller, allowing you to set different comfort levels throughout your living space.

Refrigerant lines, a condensate drain, and power cables connect the indoor and outdoor units. The indoor unit requires a small hole in the wall or ceiling to connect to the lines and cable.

How Does a Ductless Mini Split Work?

Ductless mini splits rely on the refrigerant cycle to move heat in and out of your City #1, ST#1, home. When cooling your home, a mini split extracts heat from the indoor air and expels it outside.

In the winter, the system’s reversing valve changes the direction of the refrigerant flow, enabling the unit to remove heat from outdoor air and move it indoors.

Why Would I Need a Mini Split?

Flexibility is the main reason. Ductless systems do not require air ducts, meaning you can conveniently add comfort to your basement office, a new sunroom, detached guesthouses, garage workout rooms, or other accessory dwelling units.

You mount an indoor air handling unit in the desired location, connect it to the outdoor unit, and you are essentially done.

Besides requiring no bulky ductwork, a ductless mini split works year-round and enables you to customize heating and cooling from room to room, depending on how many indoor units you install.

Customizing means you can select a different temperature for each indoor unit. For example, you can turn off an air handler in one room and raise the temperature in another. This type of zoned heating and cooling gives you more control over temperatures and saves you money on utility bills.

How Ductless HVAC Saves Money

Ductless HVAC systems are highly energy efficient. Inverter technology enables the mini split compressor to run at multiple speeds, maintaining a more consistent temperature and cutting energy consumption, resulting in lower utility bills.

Mini splits also have an advantage over ducted systems when it comes to air loss. Ductwork can lose 25-40 percent of conditioned air through holes, cracks, or loose connections. With ductless, there is no air loss because there are no air ducts.

Another advantage is the advanced filtration systems included in many indoor units. The filters reduce airborne particles and improve indoor air quality (IAQ).

Is Ductless Right for My City #1, ST#1, Home?

Ductless mini splits are the ideal solution for any homeowner who wants to upgrade their home’s comfort and market value.

Many homeowners supplement their existing HVAC with a ductless system because they want to add more comfort to a hard-to-reach place. If your ductwork is in good condition, you may not want to scrap it to install ductless units throughout your home.

For renovated areas or additions to your home, ductless may be the best choice logistically and financially. Extending ductwork into those areas may be costly and ineffective. Ductless is your only choice for an unattached building unless you prefer using window units.

Sunrooms, enclosed porches, and other spaces with inconsistent temperatures are good candidates for mini splits. A ductless system can better target problem areas than a centralized heating and cooling system.

If you live in an older home that never had ductwork, or you do not want to replace old, damaged ductwork, a ductless system may be your best option.

How Can I Learn More About Ductless?

The best way to learn how ductless can benefit you is through an in-house consultation with our HVAC Options experts. Here is what you can expect:

Assess Your Space: We evaluate the size and layout of the rooms or the unattached building you want to heat and cool, and inspect your existing HVAC system and insulation. This information helps us determine what size system you need and the number of indoor units.

Comfort Needs: You tell us about your comfort needs. Do you want to heat and cool your entire home? Are you adding ductless to an unattached building? Are you choosing ductless rather than extending ductwork into an addition? We want to clearly understand your preferences and answer your questions and concerns.

Aesthetics: It may take some time to get used to the ductless indoor units visible on the walls of your home. However, consider that ducted systems require registers and grilles over air vents on your walls, which can be visually jarring, too. Typically, air vents are placed closer to the floor, while the mini split units are mounted higher on the walls.

The indoor units are available in different colors and designs. We will help you choose an option that complements your home.

Unit Placement: We recommend locations for outdoor and indoor units. Indoor placement maximizes airflow and comfort.

Features: We discuss different mini split models and features to help you find the ideal equipment for your home. For example, some systems have occupancy sensors that detect when someone is in the room and can adjust temperatures automatically. Other convenient controls include voice command, programmable timers, and smartphone integration.

Some systems work well in cold climates. These cold-climate mini splits are built to operate in temperatures below freezing, and some even work efficiently below 0° Fahrenheit.

Detailed Estimate: Based on your home’s requirements and your preferences, we recommend a ductless mini split system and give you a detailed cost estimate.

Learn more about ductless mini split costs and financial incentives by clicking the menu.

Ready to Go Ductless?

Whether you plan to heat and cool an accessory building or want customized comfort throughout your City #1, ST#1, home, the experts at HVAC Options can assist with every step of your ductless mini split journey. Call us at 777-777-7777 or request service online.