Are Mini Split Air Conditioners Worth It? - Top 5 Pros & Cons

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So worth it. Installed 18,000 btu unit and two head units, one for master bedroom and one for Livingroom below, and is fabulous with heating in the teens and single digits, and cooling in 110 degree weather. Installed in addition because didn’t want bulkhead to cover ducting. No regrets. Easy on the electric bill as well. Brand is Perfectaire btw. I highly recommend.

My heating bill went from 700 a month to 150..that's all you need to know..get one that heats to -20 below..senville 240 volts..they should be paying me for this info..

Just installed ours in our bedroom since it’s always 12-15 degrees hotter than the rest of the house. I love my mini split. It wasn’t as easy to install for us, because we had to extend the side yard dense to make sure outside unit was safe and covered. But the rest was pretty easy. I can sleep with a quiet unit. We got the Pioneer 110 v

He left out one incredible benefit from split systems. If you go to the Mitsubishi line of split systems, you can find seer ratings that are unheard of, like 33 seer, as opposed to conventional systems. You also get a long warranty on the compressor like 15 years, after properly installed by a licensed installer, you can get an extended warranty over parts and labor! I think this young man means we'll, but has not had the experience in Mitsubishi split systems!

The single most important reason to install a mini-split is that they are way more efficient than a traditional ac system given the variable flow refrigerant nature of the minisplit.

A few other considerations: individual room temperature control results in significant energy savings (i.e. no need to cool your living room while you're asleep in your bedroom). The condenser (outdoor unit) is typically smaller and more quiet on a mini split system, so if you're pressed for outside space that's a plus. Also, the effectiveness of heating operation depends on the outside temperature. Colder outside temperatures are harder to extract heat from, so keep that in mind if you plan on using the system for both coming and heating and live in a cold climate. They definitely have their place.

Great video, Ben .We built a passive solar, net zero home 5 years ago. The main reason we have 2 mini splits is that we can both heat and cool with the same unit, and they are super efficient whether heating or cooling. Cheers!

I had one installed in my Tucson garage three weeks ago and it is WUNNERFUL!!!

Another pro point: on minisplit you usually have more independent system (one unit usually feeds from one to three inner "splits" so on a house you have usually at least two units) this means that if a single unit fails the home isn't totally out of air conditioning, on a central system if something fails, you have to hope hvac tech comes quite soon. As a note: my grandma has a 2002 mitsubishi twin-split and today it still in great shape. A downside is that you have to pull a condensate pipe to every inside split to drain the condensate properly.

I was first introduced to the mini split concept in an episode of Norm Abram's New Yankee Workshop tv show many years ago. The unit he installed was a Mitsubishi and I think they may have been the first in the US market and pretty expensive too. Norm did not spend a lot of time talking about the mini split and went on with his woodworking project, but the idea continued to rattle around in my brain. Several years later I built a 1000 sq ft garage/workshop for myself and made provisions for a mini split line set to go through the wall plus put in the outside electricals for the compressor. Six hot, miserable summers later I was ready to pull the plug on a mini split, during the winter I did a lot research and determined that 24,000 btu would do the trick and selected a Friedrich brand unit. I installed it myself, but had an HVAC tech check my work and was on hand at start up to check for leaks, add refrigerant if needed and operation. That was in May of 2013 and have been very pleased with my decision. I do not use it for heat as I had put in radiant heat in the floor. The unit has been trouble free (knock on wood) and sips electricity, helped by a well insulated building. That said, I cannot imagine using a mini split in my residence.

First time I saw a mini split was at a friend's house in Monterrey Mexico. I have now come across multiple MS setups, and they are by far waaaay more practical the a regular refrigerated system. The monthly cost is about half and any given room will be as comfortable as you want....they are amazing!

Mini splits were always one of the fastest installs I’ve done over the few years I did hvac. Going ductless will be the future and only become more efficient then central. Biggest pro of a mini split with a zone in each acquired room will have a return to prevent poor air circulation. This will control humidity and proper temperature. I have a 1960 single wide with poor air return especially with bedrooms on each end of home with doors shut just won’t return the air in a timely matter since furnace is in the middle. Like I said having a return in each room has a list of benefits more so then was mentioned.

I had a Mini Split System installed in my home 2 years ago. I had 4 units installed, 3 9k/1 18K Mitsubishi MLZ Ceiling cassettes cause I didn't want to see wall units in every room, or the holes in the wall. I do have a wall unit that I purchased used that cools off my entire basement. After 3 yrs it was low on freon and I had to top it off, otherwise its never given me any issue. I'm having a 4th 9K installed in a couple of days for my kitchen. I installed it over a conventional system because I saw no purpose in air conditioning bedrooms that were unoccupied all day, most days, or cooling an empty living/dining room all night. When there's no one home, the CAC is off I've had zero increase in my electric bill. I LOVE my system and how it works. When its bed time I turn off the Living room unit and turn on the bedroom unit. At 1st I'd turn it on 5 mins before I went to bed to cool off the room. I stopped doing that because cold air comes out with 20-30 seconds of turning on and cools the room in 3-5 mins. the units are whisper quiet. Even though my system provides heat, I prefer to use my gas heated cast iron baseboards in the winter. So far I am 100% satisfied with my mini split system.

WITHOUT DOUBT the installation of a dual zone mini was THE SMARTEST thing I did when I did the renovation of my 1949 built house!!! There are NO CONS IMHO

Good video. We renovated an 1880's farmhouse on the coast of Maine, and our 5000 BTU Daiken unit heats the house easily most days (2 floors, 1072 sq ft total) for the past 2 years. It was our sole source of heat until 6 weeks ago, when we had a used propane fireplace with wall vent installed as a back up/supplement. We like a cooler temp (low 60's) and because we're pretty well air sealed, we manage pretty well. Only on the coldest and most windy of days do we light the propane. Also, I believe Daikens are made in Texas now.

I would say a huge advantage is the noise being so much lower for a minisplit. At least with the one I got with the inverter drive, it is nearly silent and barely noticeable over ambient noise in a suburban area while standing right next to it. At least so far, as I haven't tested it up to full output on a hot day yet. Also you can get powered dampers that connect to a thermostat for each room, but would make it tricky to keep the larger central unit running without icing up if too many dampers are used and most of them close at some point. Some portion of the ductwork would need to always remain open. Also you wouldn't be able to make the particular room any cooler than what is available from the main controlling thermostat. You could wire both thermostats to turn the system on, but then the individual room could cause the rest of the house to be too cold by keeping it on when the other thermostat says turn off. Not as ideal as the absolute control minisplit have obviously.

I've had my mini split for only 2 weeks and it is a life changer! My entire upstairs is like heaven now. I can live and run my business in comfort now, especially in this near 100 degree weather. I wish I had installed it sooner!

Where I work we install Mitsubishi mini splits and we absolutely love them they are great quality and much better than other brands we have worked on or removed. I will look next time we install one where they are made.

I installed a IMG 4 Zone Mini split Heat Pump all by myself and saved a lot of money. It took a while to install but it works Great!!! The only problem is to remove the condensed water but I figured it out. My coworkers heard what I done and now some of them have the same unit. It's so quiet and efficient. I Love My Mini Split. Thanks for your time showing us I'll forward this to my friends.