Considering upgrading your North Shore Massachusetts or Seacoast New Hampshire home’s heating and cooling system?
Many homeowners are turning to mini split heat pumps, like the Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Air Conditioning systems, for their efficiency and versatility. These sleek units can both heat and cool your home, providing comfort in every season!
Curious if mini splits can cool your entire home? Wondering how many rooms a mini split can cool? Let’s explore the ins and outs of mini split cooling systems and their impressive capacity.
Mini Splits 101
Learning about ductless heat pumps can be complicated! Let’s break it down to its basic elements.
Mini splits, like the ever-popular Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Air Conditioning ductless systems, consist of two components—an outdoor compressor and one or more indoor air handlers. Using electricity and a substance called refrigerant, mini splits move heat into and out of your home. When your heat pump is in cooling mode, it will transfer heat out of your home the same way an air conditioner does. In heating mode, your mini split will capture heat from the outside air and bring it into your home.
Mini splits heat and cool your home just like a ducted HVAC system does, but they operate without ductwork. This makes them faster and easier to install than ducted systems, saving you time, money, and efficiency right away. And, because Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Air Conditioning systems are so efficient, these units can save homeowners even more money in the long run, in the form of reduced energy bills.
Looking for a more comprehensive explanation? See our blog all about ductless heat pumps!
Mini Split Capacity
When a homeowner decides to install a mini split system like a Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Air Conditioning ductless system, there can be a bit of a learning curve. In terms of mini split cooling capacity, most homes require a multi-zone mini split system — one indoor unit cannot heat or cool an entire house. Instead, multiple indoor air handlers are installed.
Each indoor unit creates a zone around it and manages its own zone in partnership with the other units. The combined power of a few of these units can efficiently replace a ducted HVAC system system.
Understanding BTUs
Achieving a cool home requires a properly sized system of mini split air conditioners. Factors like the size of a space, ceiling height, the temperature and climate outside your home, and insulation levels within your home will cause your Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Air Conditioning ductless system to use more or less energy. This energy is typically measured in hourly BTUs (British Thermal Units), which refers to the amount of energy a unit uses to remove heat from your home’s air.
Below is a rough guide to help you determine the number of BTUs a mini split will use to cool various spaces within your home. While this guide is a helpful starting point, you don’t need a mini split sizing calculator to determine what size heat pump you need! The professionals at Kearney HVAC will size and install the perfect system for your home.
Area To Be Cooled Capacity Needed (BTUs Per Hour)
150 to 250 square feet 6,000 BTUs
250 to 300 square feet 7,000 BTUs
300 to 350 square feet 8,000 BTUs
350 to 400 square feet 9,000 BTUs
400 to 450 square feet 10,000 BTUs
450 to 550 square feet 12,000 BTUs
550 to 700 square feet 14,000 BTUs
700 to 1,000 square feet 18,000 BTUs
1,000 to 1,200 square feet 21,000 BTUs
1,200 to 1,400 square feet 23,000 BTUs
Up to 1,500 square feet 24,000 BTUs
The Bottom Line
Ducted mini split heat pumps are efficient, offer a great return on investment, and have a host of other benefits, including:
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Lower utility bills
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Flexibility and speed with heating and cooling across the home
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Higher indoor air quality through the elimination of ducts
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Lower installation and operating costs compared to traditional HVAC systems
The Frustrations of an Incorrectly-Sized Mini Split
With all this discussion of capacity, you might be wondering, is it okay to slightly oversize your mini split? As tempting as it might be to install a unit beyond your current capacity needs, an over-sized unit won’t do your home any good.
Depending on how oversized your unit is for your space, you can have a number of issues. The most common are having too much heating or cooling capacity for your needs, making the space uncomfortably hot or cold. The other common issue with an oversized unit is cost! Why pay for more than you’ll ever need?
The best way to avoid the difficulties with a mini split like an Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Air Conditioning system is to have yours sized and installed by a certified professional.
Consult the Mini Split Professionals at Kearney HVAC
Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Air Conditioning ductless systems area favorite among New England homeowners, and with technicians that possess leading industry qualifications, Kearney HVAC is here to make the transition to heat pumps convenient, efficient, and easy.
Now that you know more about mini split cooling capacity, are you ready to explore AC installation and retrofit for your North Shore or Seacoast home?
