Ductless Air Conditioning Costs – Mini Split AC Buying Guide by Accord Air

Choosing an air conditioner for your home or office is never an easy task, even if you are an expert on all types of HVAC equipment. In recent years, more and more consumers are choosing mini-split, alternative heating and cooling equipment compared to central air conditioning.

A mini-split is a type of air conditioning technology that does not require a duct system to provide fresh air access. Its design is quite simple. The main parts of a mini-split are the outdoor unit, which is also called a condenser, and the indoor individual AC units, which are installed directly in the rooms and are responsible for the distribution of cooled or warm air.

Due to the simplicity of design and minimal installation requirements, mini-splits are gaining popularity. At the same time, when buying such an air conditioning system, it is very important to take into account several factors at once, because mini-split prices can differ significantly by several times. At Accord Air, we have collected all the useful information for you on how to choose a mini-split and what the cost of mini-split systems will be for your home.

Main Reasons to Choose a Ductless Air Conditioning System (Mini-Split)

Why are mini-splits becoming so common and have their fans? First of all, because there is a variety of such air conditioning systems on the market. If you think that a mini-split is just outdoor and indoor units capable of cooling or heating the air for one room, you are wrong. Today you can choose a whole-house ductless system at a cost that will be affordable to the homeowner. At the same time, the advantages of a mini-split AC fully justify the ductless cooling system’s cost.

What benefits do you get when choosing a mini-split system?

1. The ability to control the climate in each individual zone. A mini-split with several indoor units allows you to adjust the temperature in each zone separately using a thermostat. This is especially convenient if your house has rooms that are significantly warmer than the rest, for example, if the windows face the sunny side. You can customize each indoor unit separately for the needs of the room.
   2. Energy efficiency. Today, a mini-split is considered one of the most reasonable types of climate technology in terms of electricity consumption. Its electricity consumption is much lower than that of central ACs, so even a high mini-split price pays off with lower electricity bills down the road. For comparison, the loss of electricity in ducts reaches 30%, so a third of all the energy spent is simply wasted. Ductless ACs simply do not have this problem.
   3. No need for duct systems. If your house does not have air ducts in the walls, the estimate for their installation can amaze you with its size. But with a mini-split, you simply won’t have to spend time on a major home renovation and installing air ducts.
   4. Mini-splits are easy to customize to suit the needs of your home. You can choose not only the number of indoor units, but also their power, capacity, and tonnage, as well as the range of modes in which they can operate.
   5. Easy maintenance. Just compare: for central ACs, you will need to carry out a complete cleaning of the entire duct system at least once every couple of years, and additionally provide maintenance for the air conditioner unit itself. The split system maintenance cost is much lower as you only need to clean and maintain the indoor and outdoor units once or twice a year.

These factors really bring out the bright side of mini-split systems and show how easy this type of HVAC is to use and maintain.

What Types of Mini-Splits Do Exist

To get to the question of how much does a mini-split air conditioner cost, you should first find out in more detail what types of mini-splits exist. In general, they are divided into 4 main types, each of which is presented in a variety of form factors. So, mini-splits are of the following types:

1. Single-zone mini-splits. These are the same classic mini-splits that a regular homer thinks of when they heard about a mini-split. Such ACs are used to cool a single zone and consist of one indoor unit per AC. They can equally cool and heat the air in the room, but only in a limited area. Such mini-splits are optimal for apartments, installation in a separate room, or in the attic if the house already has a central AC.
   2. Multi-zone mini-splits are a universal type of air conditioner for a house or apartment. In such Acs, several indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit at once, and each of them can be configured separately. Often, manufacturers offer up to 5-zone mini-splits for residential properties. For commercial and institutional premises, the number of zones may be even higher. The advantages of this type of mini-split are obvious, as you can replace the central AC system in a small house or apartment with it.

In addition, mini-splits are also divided according to the type of installation of indoor units. There are the following options:

• wall-mounted mini-split ACs that are installed on the walls.
• floor-mounted split systems with the method of installation on the floor of a room.
• ceiling mini-splits that can be almost invisible on the ceiling due to their form and installation peculiarities.

What Impacts Mini-Split Air Conditioner Cost

Now we go to the most tremendous question: what features form the ductless air conditioner pricing. When you look at the catalog of mini-splits or visit an HVAC store, you may be surprised by the diversity of split AC prices. That is quite natural as several factors at once impact the cost of a ductless mini-split.  Let’s look at them to define details that matter when choosing a mini-split. They are as follows:

• The type of a mini-split,
• The brand of a manufacturer,
• The capacity of a ductless mini-split AC.

The Type of Mini-Split

As we have already mentioned, there are several types of mini-splits to choose from. The price also depends on the type. In general, for a single-zone multi-split,an the cost for a mini-split system is quite affordable. As for multi-split ductless ACs the number of indoor units increases as well as the quantity of copper tubing, the cost of a mini-split system of that type may also be higher. 

The Brand

No need to say that brands also impact the price. When you choose a model of a mini-split you should understand that there are leaders in the market and less known manufacturers. So sometimes, you pay for the brand, not for the real functionality or efficiency of a mini-split.

In that case, it is worth applying for a professional’s help to decide whether ductless heating and cooling systems cost is adequate and reflects its functions, not its brand awareness. 

The Capacity 

One more thing to consider is the capacity of a mini-split. This term refers to the heat pump size. The central element of any mini-split has its capacity figured in BTU (British thermal unit). One BTU is the amount of heat required to heat one pound of water by 1 Fahrenheit degree. So the higher BTU a mini-split has the more space a mini-split can heat/cool per certain time. Accordingly, the cost of a mini-split system with higher BTU will also be higher. 

Besides, this parameter is crucial for your comfort so choosing a mini-split by its BTU number is very important.

Functionality

Most mini-splits can both heat and cool the air. Yet for some older models, there can be only one of these functions available. Even if you live in sunny San Diego, we recommend avoiding buying mini-split ductless ACs that cannot heat the air even though the cost of a split unit air conditioner of that kind may be lower. 

Besides, take a look at other modes available in the ductless AC you choose. It will be great if the device has also air ventilation mode, air ionization mode, or other functions like a programmable thermostat, timer, split unit adjustments, and so on. Despite the ductless AC price will be higher with the maximum number of functions/modes it is profitable for you in the end.

So, making a brief calculation of how much does a mini-split system cost, we should combine the type of the AC, its brand, the capacity, and the number of functions available. Yet, stop! There is one more item of expenditure to mention! That is a ductless mini-split installation! You should not neglect that feature despite it is not always mentioned in the estimate. 

Ductless AC Unit Installation

On average, the cost of a mini-split installation starts from $3000 as usual, the mini-split AC unit installation cost depends on the following features:

• The number of units to install. For example, the cost to install a 3-zone mini-split will be higher than the price for the installation of a single-zone device.
• Wall thickness and structure. Even for a single-zone ductless AC, technicians need to drill the wall to install the tubing. So the time and complexity of the process also impact split AC unit installation cost.
• The height is also a reason to increase split air conditioner installation cost. For higher floors of skyscrapers, you need to get services from industrial climbers. This may be costly.
• Besides, the distance technicians should drive to your home also impacts the cost to install a ductless mini-split.

So, take into account all these factors when you plan your budget for a new ductless AC purchase.  

Summarizing all listed above, you should understand that the answer to the question of how much does a ductless air conditioner cost, the answer may be quite blurred as there are several features that influence the price of that HVAC equipment.

On average, you can calculate the cost by using that table.

Some Tips on Choosing Mini-Splits for Your Home

After considering the cost of a ductless air conditioning system let’s decide on how to manage it and choose the best option for your home. 

First of all, please, inspect each of chosen mini-splits for the following features.

• Energy Star rate. The availability of that rating status is a sign that the mini-split meets Environment Protection Energy requirements and it had passed thorough testing by the US Department of Energy.
• The Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) and Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) show the energy efficiency of the AC. Although a higher-rated AC split system costs more, it will pay off soon.
• BTUs we have already described in that article, so do not forget to take them into account.

How to Decrease the Split AC cost

And finally, the last thing we would like to draw your attention to in our article. It’s like reducing the ductless cooling system cost. We offer you a couple of tips on how to achieve this.

• Do not choose a mini-split in the lowest price segment. It is likely that its low price is due to the poor build quality and individual components. It is better to stick to the golden mean so as not to lose quality and not to spend money on repairing your mini-split in the future.
• Specify the cost of delivery and installation immediately. Otherwise, there is a high risk that after the provision of all services, you will be billed much higher than you expected.
• If you are offered too high a cost of installing a mini-split, you can refuse the installation service and order it from third parties. For example, in Accord Air you can get high-quality installation services for all types of mini-splits at an affordable price.

Summaries

Let’s summarize our article briefly. Mini-split is one of the most profitable climate systems today. With a variety of form factors and types, a wide range of functions, easy installation, and high energy efficiency, this type of air conditioner has gained popularity and is growing every year.

Split systems air conditioning prices are influenced by several factors at once. Some of them are frankly subjective. For example, the popularity of a brand of climate technology or the size of the markup of a particular store. Others are objective. This is the type of mini-split system, its capacity, functionality, and additional features, as well as the specifics of installation.

In general, despite the rather large range of prices for mini-split systems, this type of HVAC equipment is much more profitable than central ACs. They are 30% more energy-efficient, easy to set up, and they do not require a major home renovation to install air ducts. This makes split air conditioners a convenient solution for a variety of situations.

In any case, if you are not sure that the seller is giving you honest ductless air conditioner prices, it is better to seek help from specialists. At Accord Air, we will not only advise you on how much a ductless AC costs, but we will also be able to select the best models for you in our warehouse. You can also count on a service for the installation and maintenance of your mini-split system. Our specialists thoroughly understand all types of split systems and can carry out even the most complex installation. And at the same time, we have exactly fair prices.