Kristen Hicks on May 4, 2016 54 Comments Table of Contents What is a Ductless Air Conditioner? Benefits of Ductless Air Conditioning Factors to Consider While Shopping Popular Brands of Ductless Air Conditioners No one should have to sweat while simply sitting around their own home. The cost of running a central air conditioner has the power to make many people question whether they might be better off just dealing with sweat and discomfort. Your home is your personal space where you should be able to unwind and be comfortable. In the summer, air conditioning is frequently required for that to be possible. For a growing number of consumers who want to avoid high monthly energy costs and a complicated installation process, ductless air conditioners offer the solution. While there are a few different types of air conditioners that work as alternatives to central A/C, today we wanted to highlight ductless air conditioners and the what you should know if you are currently shopping for one. What is a Ductless Air Conditioner? Ductless air conditioners, often referred to as mini-split air conditioners, have a few primary components: An outdoor condenser that pumps cool air to the indoor components. An indoor unit that you can mount somewhere on the wall or ceiling that releases the cool air into the house. A conduit that connects the two, which includes the power cable, tubes of refrigerant cooling, and a condensate drain. The end result is a cooling unit that works a lot like central air, but doesn’t require the installation of ducts in your walls or attic. If you know it’s time to invest in a new air conditioner, but you live in a home where duct work’s never been done, – or you’re ready to switch to a cooling solution that provides more energy efficiency – then ductless air conditioners are the most logical choice. But those aren’t the only reasons to go with this type of air conditioner. The Benefits of Ductless Air Conditioning While the upfront costs of a ductless air conditioner tend to be higher than those of a central air conditioner or window ac unit, there are a few key reasons that many people prefer them. Better Energy Efficiency: Ductless air conditioning performs better than other A/C options in terms of energy use. In fact, if you buy an Energy Star-certified unit you can save up to 30% on your overall energy bills. Easier Installation: While most customers will still want to call in an HVAC professional to help with installation, mini-split air conditioners are far easier to install than central air conditioning units that require ductwork. It’s still wise to consider the help of a technician, but if you’re handy, you can probably install your ductless unit on your own. Better for Allergies: Dirt, debris, and moisture from condensation can build up in ducts over time. This may lead to some serious health concerns for allergy sufferers. Getting your air ducts cleaned is a complicated and expensive process, but one you never have to worry about with a mini-split air conditioner. Quiet: While central air is pretty quiet, window air conditioners are known for having a louder decibel level when running. Ductless air conditioners, on the other hand, cool just as well as a central air conditioner and can do so without adding much noise to your life. Greater Control of Temperature: Central air cools the whole house. Window units cool the room they’re put in. Mini-split air conditioners can cool either one room or several, based on your need, but you have the flexibility to control the temperature of specific rooms. If different people in the house have different opinions on the best temperature, you can quell arguments and save on cooling costs all at the same time, something that you can’t do with central ac units. Some customers who already have central air choose to install a ductless mini-split air conditioner as well in order to use less energy while getting comparable results. And for anyone who wants to skip dealing with the duct work central A/C installation requires, it’s the obvious choice. Factors to Consider When Buying a Mini-Split Air Conditioner If you’re coming around to the idea of investing in a ductless mini-split air conditioner, there are a few main factors you should keep in mind during your search to ensure you get the best unit for your needs. Cost The upfront cost is the main downside of buying a ductless air conditioner. Even the most affordable models will cost you close to $1,000, while higher-end ones come out to around $5,000. If you want a ductless air conditioner that’s powerful enough to cool a large room, or want a multi-zone unit that can handle multiple rooms, expect to pay closer to that high end of the price range. If you want one that also comes with a heat pump for the winter, that will add to the cost as well. In addition to the sticker price of the unit itself, you have two main additional costs to factor in — installation and ongoing energy costs. Some ambitious DIYers may have the skill to install a mini-split air conditioner themselves, but most customers will need to hire an HVAC specialist to help out. Before purchasing a ductless ac unit, take some time to call around to your local HVAC professionals and get a feel for how much installation will be adding to the cost and how the pricing may vary for different types of models. The second category is mostly good news. Your energy costs with a mini-split air conditioner will be lower than with any other type of air conditioner providing the same amount of cooling. But naturally it will use more energy than not using an air conditioner, and one with more power and more zones will use more energy. Be prepared to expect an uptick in your energy bills if you haven’t been using anything for cooling before installation. Number of Zones You’ll find single-zone ductless air conditioners designed to cool one room, and multi-zone models that can take on several rooms. As you’d expect, the cost will go up for each zone you add, but if you live in a house with several rooms you need to keep cool then making sure you get an air conditioning unit with the right number of zones is important. One of the benefits of zones is that you can control each one distinctly. A quad zone air conditioning unit, for example, can be set to four different temperatures based on the preferences of people in each of the four rooms. The same goes for dual zone and triple zone units. Having multiple zones can help you eliminate a lot of wasted energy by allowing you to customize the temperature of different rooms. Or you can turn the A/C off entirely in any room that’s not currently in use. This cooling strategy will not only save you money, but is something that you are unable to do with central air conditioners. Power / BTU Requirements The power of all air conditioners is measured in BTUs. The higher the BTUs, the greater the space an air conditioner will be able to effectively cool. In many cases, you’ll see a specific room size provided in the specs of a product as well, but you can also do the calculations yourself based on the BTU information they provide. In general, here’s how BTUs translate to room size: Room Size BTU’s Needed 150 sq. ft. 5,000 BTUs 250 sq. ft. 6,000 BTUs 300 sq. ft. 7,000 BTUs 350 sq. ft. 8,000 BTUs 400 sq. ft. 9,000 BTUs 450 sq. ft. 10,000 BTUs 500 sq. ft. 11,000 BTUs 550 sq. ft. 12,000 BTUs 625 sq. ft. 13,000 BTUs 700 sq. ft. 14,000 BTUs 1,000 sq. ft. 18,000 BTUs You may not find those numbers to be exact, if you live in a place where temperatures frequently get over 90°, you should add about 30% to the number of BTUs needed for the space. But, these numbers should provide you with a good starting point in determining the best ductless air conditioner for your living space. Energy Efficiency Many ductless A/C units are Energy Star certified, which lets you know right off the bat that you have a lot of options that perform well regarding energy efficiency. As you’d expect, if you want to cool a larger space or more rooms, then the amount of energy you use will increase. But the option of cooling just the space you’re using at any given time will help you keep your use low. If you’re trying to decide between multiple models and energy efficiency is an important consideration for you, check out the SEER rating. Every mini-split air conditioner will provide the rating in their specs and the higher the number is, the better the A/C unit will perform in regard to overall energy use. Voltage A lot of ductless air conditioners use the standard 110-120 volt outlet, but some larger models require a higher voltage. If you purchase a model that needs a 220 or 240-volt plug, then you’ll have to work with an electrician for an upgrade to ensure you don’t blow a fuse or even cause a fire. This is an important factor to consider when shopping for an A/C unit. If you’re looking to save on installation costs, then you will need to consider the type of volt outlet the unit requires. Ease of Installation You’ll very likely need to call in an HVAC contractor with experience installing ductless vents to do the installation for you. In fact, some mini-split air conditioner manufacturers make professional installation a requirement if you want to take advantage of the product’s warranty. Talk to your local contractors about their experiences in the past installing different types of mini-split air conditioners. It may be that there are some they’ve worked with that are a real pain to install and will cost you extra, and others they know are high quality and a simpler job for them that will save you money. If you do decide that you’re up to the task of installing it yourself, then make sure to do some research to get a feel for what will be involved. In many cases, the reviews of different models will give you an idea of how complicated the installation process will be. If you have any doubt that you’re up for the task, then your safest bet is to go ahead and call in a professional. Durability Obviously an investment as big as a ductless air conditioner is one that should be for keeps. You don’t want to have to deal with expensive repairs or worse, replacing the whole thing, for many years to come. Some ductless units come with warranties, so you know you can count on the product for longer or at least get it fixed with minimal cost and trouble. Reviews and brand reputation can also give you a head’s up to how long units have lasted for other customers. To get a better idea of the best brands, please read the brand section below. Extra Features: Additional Uses — Many mini-split air conditioners include a heating feature as well, and some also come with a dehumidifier function. Depending on the climate in which you live, it would probably be wise to consider a unit that will provide heat in the winter months. Remote Control — Some come with a remote control for greater convenience. This is a feature that we would strongly suggest you take advantage of. Programmable Timer — Programmable timers can help save money by making it easier to set the A/C to keep the space to certain temperatures at certain times of day. Reusable Filters — Filters can get expensive. One you can clean and reuse can end up saving you a lot of money over the life of the product. Popular Mini-Split Air Conditioner Brands Some of the brands you’ll come across when looking for ductless air conditioners are familiar names in the appliance space. Others that specialize in air conditioners may be new to you. To give you an overview of the reputations different brands have when it comes to their mini-split air conditioners, we looked at what people were saying about their purchases online. Friedrich Friedrich’s ductless air conditioners receive mostly positive reviews. Customers say they cool the amount of space advertised, cools that space evenly, and even works well during high heat. Some reviewers had issues with installation, but others found it easy. A few mentioned that the air conditioners were fairly quiet and one said the purchase had saved them a lot of money in comparison to years with a window unit. On the whole, the reputation of their ductless AC units is solid. Mitsubishi Reviewers of Mitsubishi’s mini-split air conditioners are happy with their purchases. They say the units are quiet, cheap to run, and cool their living space well. While there aren’t a lot of reviews for their various mini-split units around the web, the customers that took the time to provide one have been satisfied with the system they bought. LG LG’s mini-split air conditioners earn solid reviews from customers who say they’re quiet and cool effectively. Several also mention how attractive they are – they’re designed more with appearance in mind than many competitors’ models and a lot of of them include a frame that customers can fill with the picture of their choice. In addition, several reviewers mentioned appreciating the convenience of the remote controls that come with their units. For beauty, convenience, and effectiveness, they’re a smart choice. Pioneer Pioneer makes a range of mini-split air conditioners that get uniformly positive reviews. Customers say they offer a good value for the price, work quietly, and keep things cool. All reviews point toward a reliable performance if you go with Pioneer. Senville Senville’s mini-split air conditioners get predominantly positive reviews for working well and being a good value for the price. Some reviewers mentioned having some difficulty with installation and a few complained that the warranty isn’t ideal – the company will send you parts, but you have to cover labor and shipping yourself. Most reviewers are satisfied with their purchase, particularly for what it cost in comparison to comparable products. Conclusion Ductless air conditioners can save you money on energy costs, save you the trouble of dealing with a complicated duct system, and help you stay comfortable in your own home. While you do have to be willing to make the upfront investment, the right model will allow you to cool the spaces in your home where comfort matters most to you at an affordable rate over time. Don’t suffer in heat this summer, check out your ductless air conditioning options.
Nick Peckham FAIA says August 2, 2016 at 12:18 pm We just moved into “the greenest house on Earth”. This net positive building uses Mitsubishi air-to-air units. Quiet, silent really, and very energy efficient. First mont electric bill was MINUS $176. Reply
George , Abdalla says October 14, 2016 at 12:04 am We are looking for a splits unit Friedrich AC and heat pump Reply
Greta Jones says October 31, 2016 at 6:38 am I am building a new construction home and the down stairs is 2600sq ft and the media room is about 750 sq ft. My main point of concerns are area like the bathrooms getting sufficient heating and air. What size unit would I need? Reply
pat says March 3, 2017 at 9:32 am you would have to go by the sq.ft. of that room to determine the size unit that will cool that area.. Reply
geoffrey says July 7, 2017 at 11:20 am Room Size BTU’s Needed 150 sq. ft. 5,000 BTUs 250 sq. ft. 6,000 BTUs 300 sq. ft. 7,000 BTUs 350 sq. ft. 8,000 BTUs 400 sq. ft. 9,000 BTUs 450 sq. ft. 10,000 BTUs 500 sq. ft. 11,000 BTUs 550 sq. ft. 12,000 BTUs 625 sq. ft. 13,000 BTUs 700 sq. ft. 14,000 BTUs 1,000 sq. ft. 18,000 BTUs Reply
09horses says November 30, 2016 at 8:54 pm We have two Friedrich AC & heat pumps. One is in the barn. The other is in our Great Dane Dog kennel. We love them and will be purchasing a third Friedrich for the new tack room in the new barn. We are in Texas. Reply
romolo says May 6, 2018 at 3:34 pm I think your BTUs calculations are full-of-it! In 4 years I’ve used Fujitsu units in my diningroom/kitchen/livingroom..area……….those units were GARBAGE…………….. Reply
Jay says January 9, 2017 at 9:16 pm Was a very informative article as I am searching for the best heating and cooling units for a big project requiring more than 100 units Reply
Bud says February 23, 2018 at 8:26 am There are many more good options out there. Don’t sell yourself short on just these units mentioned. Depending on where your project is will also depend on rebate monies and higher energy savings back to the owners once installed. I live in the Northeast and we just did a large project with Ameristar and had excellent results and 10 year warranty Reply
Russ M says February 17, 2017 at 11:33 pm I am looking into TGM inverter mini splits. Hard to find reviews. Anyone have any experience with TGM? Reply
Joseph says March 30, 2017 at 10:36 pm Hi,im looking to cool a bakery with lots of heat , i m not sure if i should increse the size of the roof top or go with a duckless unit or units, the size of the store is 2000 spf. And what size of unit would i need . Thanks Reply
John Phillips says July 9, 2017 at 11:12 pm Just in general if you already have ducts and an existing unit it is a lot simpler to upgrade than to add. Even just getting building permits and a new installation will cost more than the larger unit in most cases. Reply
Sally Huebscher says April 19, 2018 at 4:04 pm The but/square foot given are based on average use in an average home. If you are cooling a room with lots of people (like a restaurant dining room) or a home or commercial kitchen, the heat load is different. Look at the btu output of your bakery equipment and then add that to the btu output of the air conditioner recommended for the room area. If there are a lot of people in a room (like a home theater) you can find calculations on-line for people heat load in a room. You are sizing a cooling system for the high load condition, not the average condition. Reply
romolo says May 6, 2018 at 11:07 pm I had bad experience with Fijitsu……in the last 4 years….installed two units of which the first one never worked right, the replacement did last much longer nor did it ever worked right either………..just replacing both with a Mitsubishi……hopefully……this one will last longer . Reply
James Keller says June 16, 2017 at 8:23 pm I have installed 2 Pioneer ductless units in my house. One in the sunroom and one in my bedroom. They have functioned very well for two month’s. They are extremely quite. I can adjust the thermostat up on my whole house unit and use the mini at night to only cool the bedroom. I keep it set at 72 degrees and that’s where the temp is when I get up in the morning. I honestly really like them. Reply
Tom Trujillo says June 24, 2017 at 5:07 pm Thank you for your informative information. I live in Santa Fe NM and for the most part only need to cool down for a month or two in the summer when we see the 90’s. More importantly is using the heat pump for quick warm up during the colder months while radiant heat catches up. Good article. I feel much more informed. Reply
Jo says July 3, 2017 at 9:51 pm Excellent information! Any reviews on Klimaire units? Also, are these units good for manufactured homes? I mainly want to cool living room and master bedroom on very hot days in Huntington Beach,CA Reply
Steve says April 2, 2018 at 11:47 pm These would be great in manufactured homes! And super easy to run the line kit through the crawl space. Reply
Kim says July 7, 2017 at 9:48 am Can this be installed on an interior wall or does it have to be in an exterior wall? Reply
Joni says August 15, 2017 at 10:10 pm I have a four year old Mitsubishi installed on a living room interior wall with no problem at all. Love the thing! 🙂 Reply
Steve says April 2, 2018 at 11:45 pm No problem on interior wall, they just usually get put on exterior walls because of convenience in running the line set from the outside condenser unit. If you are roof mounting, any interior wall might be the most convenient….. Reply
Elizabeth Middleton says August 7, 2017 at 10:11 am What about Lennox model MPB012S-IP this is the model suggested by heating & cooling Company. I’m in a condo. Reply
Hally says September 20, 2017 at 12:19 am Geoffrey’s BTU chart fits my laborious calc.s, I took into account windows,exterior walls, adjusted for climate. Also factored in compass S. primarily . Was reassuring to see his chart. Reply
sid says October 2, 2017 at 7:29 am how about a Samsung, they have a 10 year warranty on compressor and parts with a high seer rating? any reviews Reply
Jim says October 8, 2017 at 6:04 pm Good article, but neglects to mention the high maintenance of these units. I have 4 of them (all Mitsubishi) and a whole house unit. All I ever need to do to my whole house units is clean the one filter about every other month. With the splits, they ABSOLUTELY NEED regular filter cleaning and about semi-annual major cleaning of the cooling fins and fan wheel. Fail to do this, and you will really start to noticed a degradation in cooling and eventual failure. These units are AWESOME, but they are VERY SENSITIVE to dust and dirt getting in them (which is bound to happen if you run them a lot). I live in Key West and live and die by A/C, so the maintenance of these units can be oppressive. They are great for creating a zone offense against the heat, but be prepared to either get dirty servicing them yourself, or hiring a tech with some regularity. Reply
Kathleen Whitcomb says January 18, 2018 at 4:27 am Can anyone tell me the pricing difference for a new build? We are looking to build an 800 sq ft. two bed, one bath house with a single great room. So I think that would require at most 4 units. Is it cheaper to install as you build or after is my main question. Thank you. Reply
Steve says April 2, 2018 at 11:38 pm Install as you build, so you can run the line kits inside the walls and insulate them. Also, run the wiring, control and electricity, and the condensate drain if the unit is mounted on the roof. Gives you a good opportunity to place the needed backing for the wall mount evaporator (or blower) units. You can check to see if you can provide a cat5 for connection to your router so you dont have to fuss with having a wireless connection. Ha! On that note dont forget to provide another data port behind your fridge, lots of the new fridges are smart! These days I would go nuts with data wiring for future proofing smart appliances and eliminating having to connect them wirelessly. Hope this helps, I like this site. Reply
Ed Pard says January 25, 2018 at 8:24 pm How long can the pipes run? I am thinking to use it for the atic in my house around 30 feet high and 50 feet long.. is there a lenght limit??? Reply
Steve says April 2, 2018 at 11:41 pm I am sure there is a limit, but its higher than 50′ so you are fine. You can get the fitting to link 2 kits together, so if you get a good deal on a complete kit, you can buy an additional kit and the fittings to get the length you need. Example-To get 50′ you can buy a 35′ line kit to extend what might be a 15 in the kit with the unit. Reply
Don says March 5, 2018 at 5:53 pm There were many brands mentioned, but from the comments, they all receive mostly, uniformly, or predominantly positive reviews, or even solid reviews. I could use a recommendation for a 25K BTU or higher (that is very quiet) to replace our very noisy 15 year-old Fujitsu split air. Energy Star compliance would be a plus. Reply
Jerry Forsyth says April 9, 2018 at 7:06 am I purchased a Fujitsu Mini-Split heat pump in the fall of 2016. In January of 2018 it ceased working and I have been without it now for 2 1/2 months during the coldest weather of the year and Fujitsu has shown no interest in repairing or replacing the unit. In fact, they have continuously lied to my dealer and myself about how long it would take to repair and now for weeks they have lied about shipping it back to me, saying it is shipped when it has not. This in no way reflects on my local dealer, Haynes Heating and Air. Haynes has gone out of their way to help me and is being misled just as I am. I should have been more careful. I thought that by doing business with a Japanese company that I was assured of doing business with people who are honorable and ethical. But when my unit broke I discovered that the ‘warranty’ only covers parts, not labor. I wish I had seen that before I bought, It would have frightened me off. Luckily, there has been lots of labor involved here and Haynes is eating all those charges, even though they do not have to do so. But Fujitsu has been of zero help, and they will tell Haynes whatever they have to just to get them off the phone. They have had the unit in their shop at Fujitsu for all this time because they could not figure out what to do to fix it in the field. And now they have been saying for three weeks that it is shipping when it isn’t. And they had the nerve to say that they were ‘backed up’ and that is the reason they took so long. Customer Service does not allow for this. Honor would demand that they replace the unit if they could not fix it in a reasonable amount of time. You just do not take a customer’s heat source from them in the middle of winter and act like it is unimportant to get it back to them. Mini-Splits are great. But choose your manufacturer very carefully. Make certain you do business with honest, honorable people who understand the value of a good reputation. I did not do that. I did business with Fujitsu and have lived to regret it. Don’t repeat my mistake. Fujitsu has just reported that my unit has once again ‘shipped’. We shall see. I will update this post with more details when and if the unit arrives and can be made to work. I am not optimistic. Reply
Jeff says April 30, 2018 at 11:29 am Agree that Fujitsu is terrible. Several techs complained about terrible support and no customer service. My unit has died after 8-9 years and will never get another Fujitsu. Reply
Peter says November 10, 2019 at 1:21 pm Jerry, You’re obviously a troll. How many websites have you pasted your fake story? If you took the time to read the warranty you would know that nobody covers labor for warranty claims. Did you hear that? No manufacturer! Also, there is probably something about your case that you’re not saying. What model did you buy? Why is the manufacturer not responding to your claim? Did they cite any reason such as an installation problem? Reply
Sandy says May 13, 2018 at 12:19 pm What exactly does “mini split” mean? Can I buy one that will only put out A/C? I don’t need heat. Reply
Mike C says June 7, 2018 at 6:42 am Great article that provided me with solid information for my upcoming purchase. Reply
Hugh says July 4, 2018 at 11:40 am Room size is 20,000 cubic feet, what size split unit would I need? Reply
Daniel Leggett says July 4, 2018 at 4:56 pm “An outdoor condenser that pumps cool air to the indoor components. An indoor unit that you can mount somewhere on the wall or ceiling that releases the cool air into the house.” This is garbage. Whoever wrote this knows nothing about how a split unit operates. (I’ve been installing and repairing these systems for 20 years). There is NO exchange of air between the two units. Mitsubishi Electric or Daikin if you want good systems. LG look good but they are unreliable, terrible to work on and difficult to get parts for. Fujitsu if you want a good budget brand. Reply
Peter says November 10, 2019 at 1:25 pm Could not agree more about your statements. LG is pretty low quality, but LOOKS NICE!!! Fujitsu is the most often used brand in this area and is a great value. Reply
Emory says July 7, 2018 at 5:41 pm Hey, thanks for writing this article. My house has no ducts, heated by hot water. We have a floor AC unit that struggles against the Ontario heat. I would love more detail about these units like: – can I put the fan/coil in the attic? – must I hard wire the units? – will the fan mounted outside my house piss off my neighbors? Reply
Peter says November 10, 2019 at 1:28 pm 1. No, The outdoor unit must go OUTDOORS! 2. Yes you must hard wire 220 volt copper! 3. The outdoor unit is relatively quiet compared to traditional a/c condensing units. So probably won’t bother your neighbors. Reply
Wendy McClendon says July 14, 2018 at 3:38 pm We have purchased a brand not mentioned, Gree, but my question would probably be relevant regardless of brand. We have two walls we could put it on, both outside walls. One wall could potentially blow directly to the side of the recliner seating in the room, the other would blow towards the back of the recliners. There will be a desk directly under it, whichever wall it goes on, but my concern is any discomfort that may be caused by being near-ish the unit, either by the blowing air or possibly the noise (it is a basement ‘mancave’ for my hubby to watch TV in peace). Any advice or tips from experience? Reply
Harry S. says July 18, 2018 at 10:44 am How much does the interior unit weight, can ductless ac be installed in double wide mobile home? Reply
Rick N. says July 31, 2018 at 8:36 pm I am considering an iNNova split-level, 12,000 BTU for 408 SQ. foot garage with a ten foot ceiling. Has anyone had experience with iNNova? Reply
