Considering heat pump vs.ductless mini split system anyone?

[hvacrookie]

Greetings,

Researching feasibility of heat pump or ductless mini split systems and whether or not it is equitable for my 1990 Fleetwood- 645 sq. ft.2 brm, 1 bath, all electric and no gas service available. Elevation is 4100 ft above sea level. Winters are about 7 months long in a high desert semi arid climate. We receive our fair share of snowfall and average low temps during winter are about 28 degrees. Power bill averages $150.00

I have already done some research in terms of the components needed for the system but what I am trying to determine is if investment vs savings will pencil out overtime or if there are better options I should be looking at. I also have read that ductless systems can be noisy.

I will be air testing then air sealing the unit soon. Current air handler is a ducted Coleman 10 kw and 1- 12,000 b.t.u window a/c unit in the living room. I already am aware that my current a/c unit won't cut it when temps start to climb. Any well informed thoughts are very much appreciated.

Thank you in advance for the trouble.

R.J.

[flcruising]

How important is air distribution to you?

What we do know is that the ducted strip heat system is inefficient.

The difficulty in comparing savings between these 2 units is that a mini split will work similar to your window unit and cool primarily the room it is installed in.

My suggestion would be to consider 2 or 3 smaller window heat pumps or even portable units. This would provide the greatest savings because you can then focus on the rooms you occupy and shut them off in the others.

[hvacrookie]

Hi Aaron,
Thank you for your response however; it creates more questions then it answers.

I will attempt to address your questions regarding my post. How important is air distribution to me? Most likely as important as to anyone else, I would like my living space to be comfortable winter and summer. I feel that I was quite specific in my post about the specs and the desired performance I am hoping to achieve.

What is a window heat pump? Not familiar with the term. Are you referring to a window mounted air conditioner as well as the portable units whether it be a/c or evaporative coolers IE. Swamp coolers and if so...how does that address heating requirements? Just a thought.

RJ

[flcruising]

The only reason I asked about air distribution is that you were questioning the use of a mini split heat pump or a central HVAC heat pump system. They both ultimately do the same thing, but are installed and perform differently.

Like I said, the mini split system will only blow air into the room it is installed, so if you wanted to heat/cool your whole house, you'd need several of them. The main benefit would be you could save money by zoning - heating/cooling only the room(s) you occupy if you install say 1 in the living room and 1 in each bedroom.

The central unit, of course, would heat/cool the whole house to the same temperature all the time.

Portable units are fully self contained, and simply have an exhaust duct to send out the window. Heat pump windows units are just that, window air conditioners that reverse cycle and produce heat when it's called for.

In a nutshell, I was simply trying to point out that your needs will dictate which system you decide on. If you're a single person, then paying to keep the whole house the same temperature may not make financial sense and the break-even point will probably be longer. But the cost comparison of a central HVAC heat pump system to a mini-split heat pump are apples-to-oranges because of their intended use and operation.

Thanks, and I hope I better clarified the reason for my initial question...

[jpingram5]

Mini-Split Ductless can see 20+ SEER ratings. The only concern I see would be the water pipes underneath which would now be away from the heat. Usually the leaky air ducts help by keeping the water pipes warm under the home. Ductless are nice and can be more efficient but they can be quite pricey. Just remember you also need to have the space in your service panel for it. They can be installed in just about anything but some Heat Pumps struggle under 30 degrees to keep up.