Compare Mini Splits and Central Air Conditioners

Many consumers are weighing the pros and cons between mini split air conditioners and central air conditioners. I will try to lay out the major differences between the two systems and try to help you make the right decision for your home or office.

Space Requirements: I am going to break this down into two sections: Square feet to be cooled and Ceiling Height.

If you need an air conditioner to cool multiple rooms in a large area, I would recommend a central air conditioner. Mini split systems are great to cool areas and additions. They generally max out at 1,200 square feet. The cool air expelled by a mini split air conditioner can only reach areas of your home that are not closed off. If you have multiple rooms with doors, it will be very difficult for them to be cooled by a mini split system. You can purchase mini split systems with dual or multiple indoor evaporators, but the cost is driven up considerably. Single rooms and additions better suit mini split applications.

Ceiling height is the other variable that you need to consider when choosing between the two styles of air conditioners. A central air conditioner requires ductwork to distribute the air to each desired area. Standard ductwork requires approximately 12” of height for installation. Many older homes and basements do not have enough ceiling height to comfortably fit the additional ductwork. In these cases a ductless mini split air conditioner would be ideal.

Efficiency: Both the central air and mini split air conditioners have high-efficiency standards. In fact they were placed in the same split system certification. Make sure to check SEER ratings when purchasing your air conditioner. The higher the SEER the more efficient the unit. Currently 13 SEER is the minimum for the United States.

Central air conditioners do efficiency by having long duct runs, leaks and extra registers. If you are trying to cool your sunroom to 72° F you may have to lower your thermostat for the whole house to 65° F. This is not a very efficient way to cool an area. In this case an additional mini split air conditioner would be an excellent solution.

Price: Of course price is usually the biggest concern for consumers when deciding between a central air conditioner and a ductless mini split. Central air conditioners and large mini split air conditioners are very similar in price for the equipment. A major difference is that consumers can shop online for a ductless air conditioner, but by law they have to buy a central air conditioner from a contractor. This gives the consumer the ability to shop and save on equipment online.

The addition of ductwork and the increased labor really adds to the central air conditioners final price. The more ductwork that needs to be run, the more money it will cost for installation. You save this money with the purchase of a ductless mini split air conditioner. Ductless air conditioners can be installed professionally between $300 and $900 (depending on how far the outdoor unit sits from the indoor unit), and if you are able to do some of the basic labor. Both units require the addition of electricity, so make sure to find an installer that can work with both HVAC and electricity.

For more information on ductless mini split air conditioners, please check out our other articles online.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

How to Find a Ductless Mini Split Installer?

“Many of the contractors that install mini split air conditioners will be able to do both the electrical and HVAC portions.”

So you have made the decision to purchase a mini split air conditioner, and now it is time to figure out how to install the equipment. There is some basic information that you will need to know before you flop open the five pounds of yellow pages. First thing you should do is have a good idea of where you want to mount the evaporator or indoor portion of the ductless mini split.

Wall mounted air conditioners attach to a bracket about 10” below the ceiling. This high installation lets the air flow downward in the room. All the wiring and lines will run out the back of the unit so find a place that has enough room to hold the minimum dimensions of the evaporator.

Find a nice flat area near the exterior of the building to house the outdoor condenser.
A cement slab is ideal for a mini split air conditioner or purchase a plastic pad approximately 24” x 36” to place on a level surface.

Let’s keep it legal and make sure we pull the appropriate permits. Mini split air conditioners are hard wired into your fuse box, so you will need an Electrical Permit along with a HVAC Permit. Electrical permits on average are $40.00 and HVAC permits are approximately $75.00. Contact your local city hall for more information. Many times the installer you find will pull the permit for you, but to be safe I always pull them myself.

Time to make the call to find your friendly local contractor to do the dirty work. I no longer receive the yellow pages which is a shame because it worked as a great booster chair for my daughter! The best way I have found is to go online and search the yellow pages. I use www.yellowbook.com but there are many directories to choose from online.

Type in “Air Conditioner Contractors” into the Product / Service box and your city and state into the Location field. Most likely you won’t find anything that resembles the terms ductless air conditioner or wall mounted mini split air conditioner, but trust me 80% of all residential contractors have installed a mini split air conditioner.

I like to use the “mom and pop” companies because it seems I receive better pricing from smaller companies; Jay’s Heating and Cooling and such. If you have already picked out the brand and style of wall mounted air conditioner, you will have to supply the contractor with some basic information before they come to your home.

5 things to know before contacting a contractor:

1. Brand: They usually like to know the brand of the equipment but it doesn’t really matter because 99% of the equipment is installed the same way.
2. Size: Speak in btu. (British Thermal Units) to help them understand how large the unit will be. Example: 12,000 btu. or 1 ton.
3. Power Requirement: Does your unit require a 110 volt line or 220 volt line. Make sure to read the specifications beforehand or have them handy.
4. Type of Refrigerant: Does the unit use R22 or R410A refrigerant? They will need to know this to have extra refrigerant on hand when charging your system.
5. Length of the Run: Have a general idea of how far the indoor evaporator will be from the outdoor condenser. The farther away the two units are, the more expensive it will be to install, because of longer refrigerant line-sets and added refrigerant.

Many of the contractors that install mini split air conditioners will be able to do both the electrical and HVAC portions. Make sure to have a spot available for a dual pole circuit breaker in your electrical box. I ran into this problem when I was installing my own ductless air conditioner.

Check the breaker size in the specifications of your mini split air conditioner to find out the amp size needed to run the equipment. Most single mini split systems use a 15 or 20 amp circuit breaker. Make sure that the new air conditioner runs on its own circuit breaker.

I hope this information gets you on the right path to work with a qualified HVAC installer, and you can enjoy your ductless mini split system as much as I do. If you have any additions or comments feel free to share them in the Savings Forum.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Saving Money on Mini Split Installations

“If you have any technical ability and some extra time, you can complete most of the installation of the mini split air conditioner yourself.”

Air conditioning installations can be expensive, but there are a few things you can do to help save money. First, I would make sure you shop around for a brand of ductless mini split air conditioner that fits your budget. When shopping always contact the seller to make sure adequate technical support is available for the product being sold.

There are many different brands of mini split air conditioners. Make sure warranties are available for the air conditioner you purchase. Most warranties should be approximately five years on the compressor and one year for parts and labor. If you are purchasing a wall mounted mini split online make sure the seller uses trucking companies for delivery.

Companies like UPS, FedEx and DHL are well known for their destructive habits delivering heavy and awkward sized equipment. Truck-line companies deliver everything on pallets and you must be home at arrival to inspect the equipment. If you have a residential address shipping companies will require a lift gate to lower the pallet to the ground. Lift gate service is usually an additional fee approximately $30.00. Finding a commercial address will save you that additional expense.

It is always good to open the boxes at the time of delivery to make sure nothing is damaged. If products are damaged, the truck line will take responsibility for returns. If you wait three weeks to open your mini split boxes, they could have been damaged during shipment with no recourse.

If you have any technical ability and some extra time, you can complete most of the installation of the mini split air conditioner yourself. Many people choose to let the professional HVAC installer handle the whole job, but most of the mini split installation cost is labor intensive.

First thing I would do is to locate a place you would like to hang the indoor evaporator. The installation manual will be supplied with the equipment. Evaporators should be hung approximately 10” from the ceiling.

Next, I would remove all of the equipment from its packaging and check that everything was shipped properly and nothing is missing. There is nothing worse than having the installer show up and a main component is missing for the installation. More time, more money.

Follow the directions to properly mount the metal bracket that holds the indoor evaporator. You will need to drill a hole through the wall to fit the refrigerant line set, wiring and condensation tube. Usually, it will take a 3” hole, but check with the installation instructions. Make sure you are not drilling through a stud or other electrical wiring, or you may make a shocking discovery!

Find a hard flat surface outside to place the condenser. Try to keep the outdoor condenser near the position where you will install the indoor evaporator. The longer the distance between the two will add refrigerant, line set and wiring costs.

A concrete slab or plastic air conditioner pad is ideal for the condenser. Make sure the area is level and place the condenser on the chosen area. If you have the wiring and refrigerant line set you can run them through the wall.

Fill the hole you made for the line set and wiring with some socks or insulation until final charging takes place.

The outdoor condenser will need power so make sure an electrical disconnect is located next to the condenser.

At this point I would call your certified HVAC installer to come vacuum the line sets and charge your mini split air conditioner to the proper pressures.

When the HVAC installer finishes charging the system you can fill the 3” hole around the line set and wiring with silicone to prevent moisture within the wall.

By completing these few easy steps you can save yourself hundreds of dollars in basic labor costs. I hope this article can save you money on your mini split installation. Your comments and installation stories are always welcome.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Wall Mounted Mini Split Savings for Higher SEER Air Conditioners?

“Does saving $30.00 a year justify the increase in price for higher SEER air conditioners?”

In January 2007, the federal government raised the minimum Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) for split system air conditioners from 10 SEER to 13 SEER. Any equipment manufactured after 2006 for sale in the United States must be at least 13 SEER. The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) is working on special certification grouping for ductless mini split systems, but until that happens ductless equipment has been thrown into the same group as central air conditioners.

Since the minimum SEER has been increased manufacturers are using more expensive components to reach higher efficiency. Thanks in large part to inverter compressors, ductless mini split equipment has become available in efficiency numbers surpassing 21 SEER. The increase in the component costs are passed directly to the customer and mini split systems have risen in price dramatically. Ductless mini splits have also increased in physical size to house the larger compressors. So how much money does an increased efficiency air conditioner save you?

I have broken down one example of the savings between a 13 SEER and 16 SEER mini split air conditioner.

Operating Hours: 1600 annually or approximately 4 hours a day
Operating Temperature: 75 degrees Fahrenheit
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating: Increasing from 13 SEER to 16 SEER
British Thermal Units (btu): 12,000 or 1 ton

Survey Says:
Ding…..

Yearly savings: $42.00

Seeing that most ductless split system air conditioners are used for cooling smaller additions and rooms, a 12,000 btu. system is the most popular size sold in the United States. $42.00 is nothing to shake a stick at, but that is at 1600 hours. What about all the other areas that use the ductless systems seasonally? Does saving $30.00 a year justify the increase in price for higher SEER air conditioners? Not to mention the fact that high- efficiency compressors run hundreds more for replacement.

Many consumers are paying an average of $500.00 more for a more efficient 16 SEER air conditioner instead of a 13 SEER unit. With the efficiency saving air conditioner it could take 15 years to break even.

Many consumers like the idea of monthly savings and reducing energy usage. My hat is off to you, but my wallet is staying put.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts