What's the deal with mini splits?

We're seeing a lot more properties utilizing ductless mini splits, what's the deal with them? Mini splits are ductless air conditioners/heaters that are installed on an exterior wall of the home. They require a small hole to be cut into the exterior wall to run the lines out of the home to the condenser.

What are the benefits of mini splits?

1. More affordable - Mini-splits typically cost ~$1200-2000/room vs. $10-15k for central air (for all rooms).
2. DIY-friendly - Can be installed fairly easily yourself, if you're handy.
3. More efficient - 2x more efficient than typical home HVAC in cooling and 3x more efficient in heating (vs. resistance heater). If your attic is not insulated, you're probably losing a lot of efficiency to the ducts running through there. There may also be small leaks, which simply aren't possible with ductless systems.
4. Quieter - System runs constantly at a lower speed rather than the binary on/off full blast/competely off of your typical central HVAC system.
5. Decreased humidity - due to constant operation, the device functions essentially like a dehumidifier. In a conventional central HVAC, in times when it is cooler and humid (such as a Texas summer night) you will accumulate humidity because the A/C is not running as much. If it's too cool, they typically offer a "dry mode" where they'll dump excess cooling outside but continue drying the air.
6. Zones - Every room has it's own zone so every occupant can have their own preferred temperature. You can leave unoccupied rooms set to a higher temp in the Summer or lower temp in the Winter, and save energy that way.
7. Redundancy - If one unit fails, you only lose HVAC in 1 room, as opposed to the entire home, making it completely uninhabitable on a hot Texas Summer day.
8. Serviceability - All components are easily accessible for service/repair. No ducts to worry about leaking into the attic or becoming restricted, and no attic access is required.
9. No water leaks - Most central HVAC systems have complex plumbing that can clog up and cause water to leak through the ceiling/walls and into the living area, and potentially causing massive amounts of damage, damaged health from mold, and certain financial hardship. Mini splits are not immune from this, but if there were a leak, it would likely be much more obvious, and not leak through the ceiling.

Who is not NOT for?

If you have 4+ rooms in your home, this may become quite expensive.

If you have rooms without exterior walls, mini splits cannot be installed in these areas, so they may have a temperature differential.