Stay Cool With Ductless Air Conditioners
Ductless air conditioners and heat pumps are ideal to cool or heat a small area like a master bedroom, Arizona room or a garage. Mini split ductless air conditioners are ideal because they are only used on-demand when you are using the room, are very energy efficient and are super quiet with many homeowners not even realizing when they are running.
Cool A Hot Room With A Ductless AC
Do you have one hot room that you can't seem to cool no matter what you try? Even having new windows, an additional insulation or a bigger AC system may not help cool a hot room. After performing an energy audit even we find that a ductless AC system will be the most efficient way to help cool a room. Instead of leaky and bulky ductwork, ductless mini-split heat pumps use an indoor unit connected to an outdoor unit via refrigerant lines (which only need a three-inch hole in an outdoor wall for installation), so there is zero loss from ductwork leakage.
Ductless Air Conditioners In A Garage
Just like your central air conditioner, ductless systems work best with a well insulated space so if you are considering adding a mini split system to your garage, we always recommend adding insulation to the garage ceiling, garage door panels and drill and fill into the exterior walls to get the most out of a mini split. A 18,000 BTU ductless mini split system is common for a two car garage.
How Much Does A Mini Split System Cost?
The cost of a ductless AC system will vary depending on the size of the system, room size, number of zones, attic access, existing breaker box space and distance from the breaker box to the ductless system. Below is an example of a basic single zone SEER 17 Diakin mini split system cost and sizing requirements. Electrical requirements call for a high voltage power line to run off a main breaker for power supply.
What Size Ductless Mini Split Do I Need?
The size of a ductless mini split will depend on the room size, application, orientation, shading, insulation, windows and more. As general guide, Energy Star has published the following rules of thumb below.
If the room is heavily shaded, reduce capacity by 10 percent. If the room is very sunny, increase capacity by 10 percent. If more than two people regularly occupy the room, add 600 BTUs for each additional person. If the unit is used in a kitchen, increase capacity by 4,000 BTUs.
If the room is heavily shaded, reduce capacity by 10 percent. If the room is very sunny, increase capacity by 10 percent. If more than two people regularly occupy the room, add 600 BTUs for each additional person. If the unit is used in a kitchen, increase capacity by 4,000 BTUs.
Room Size |
BTU's |
100 sf - 150 sf |
5,000 |
150 sf - 250 sf |
6,000 |
250 sf - 300 sf |
7,000 |
350 sf - 400 sf |
9,000 |
400 sf - 450 sf |
10,000 |
450 sf - 550 sf |
12,000 |
550 sf - 700 sf |
14,000 |
Why A Ductless Mini Split AC Is Better Than Oversizing Your AC System
The cost to operate a ductless AC system is less than a central AC system no matter the size. The amount of energy required to start an AC system up is high, and once running a 5 ton, SEER 14 heat pump will use 8-11 kW per hour.