for the mini split owners.....

[ssupercoolss]

i keep thinking i should install one of these things. in a few years i will most likely depart my primary home near Philly for my cabin in the northeast, so any improvements i make up there, i always ask myself "what if i were to live here full time?" although in the past 5 years i have only had the need for a/c once, and that was this past summer, i think if i were to take up permanent residence there, air conditioning would be used a little bit more often. the way my house is set up, there is really no good place for a window shaker in the very open living room/dining room. there are only 2 windows, both on the front of the house, and both windows overlook the deck, just kind of an ugly situation.

so, for those of you that have installed them, good? bad? ugly? i am thinking i should be looking at one with heat as well, for shoulder season, since i have the ever popular and oh-so-economical-electric base board heat. are they really that much more efficient around the 40-50 degree mark than the base board heat?

is there a difference in efficiency between the 120 and 220 volt models?

thanks in advance

 

[begreen]

A good quality mini-split is much more efficient than electric resistance heating. Look for a model that has an excellent SEER rating of 16 or higher (HSPF over 9). (Fujitsu has them up to SEER 25/HSPF 12, Mitsubishi at 22/10.5). It should be able to heat the space easily via the heat pump until it gets below freezing (some work even lower). Definitely expect this to be on a dedicated 220v circuit.

FYI, I spoke to one fellow locally that just had one put in last year. He had propane before and the family was always chilly. He said he can't believe how much warmer they are with the new unit and with much lower heating costs. Locally, Sanyo, Daikin, Fujitsu and Mitsubishi units are popular.

 

[North of 60]

Yep, in your climate go with what BeGreen said. The Daikin Unit in commercial application's is surviving up here at -15c.