Keeping the home at a comfortable temperature is a top priority for many homeowners. But, while you can set your thermostat to your exact liking, you have probably noticed that some areas of your home tend to stay hotter or cooler than others. A mini-split is designed to cool or heat a specific area of your home and is a more efficient and permanent solution than a window unit. Mini-splits come in different types and sizes but offer a great solution for making a space more comfortable.
Maintaining a Comfortable Garage or Attached Work Area
Even if your garage is attached to your home, it is both uncommon and not recommended to add this space to your central HVAC system. While it might sound like a good idea and an easy way to keep your garage at a comfortable temperature, you do not want the exhaust and fumes from your garage circulated through the rest of your home. This is why a mini-split is such a great choice for those looking to make their garage more comfortable. A mini-split unit provides conditioned air while expelling the exhaust through an exterior vent. Mini-split systems can be very efficient, and many homeowners are surprised by just how well a mini-split works for keeping their garage at a reasonable temperature.
Keeping your garage warm on a cold winter day can be essential when completing a woodworking or home improvement project or while working on your vehicle. While some homeowners will use a propane heater, a mini-split is an even better solution. Most mini-splits have a heat pump and electric heater built in and do an incredible job of keeping your space warm. The best part is there are no harmful fumes produced by running your mini-split’s heating component or fumes circulated back into the rest of your home.
Cool Your Indoor Patio or Sunroom
While a sunroom is often referred to as a “three-season room,” many find it to only be usable in mild weather. That reasoning can change once the space is heated or cooled. A sunroom or indoor patio is a great location for a mini-split because of the low-footprint installation a mini-split offers. A mini-split AC typically cools quicker and more efficiently than a window unit, which means you can choose to run the mini-split less and keep your sunroom comfortable when the temperature outside rises. Many people also love the slick look a mini-split offers, and with the help of professional installation, a mini-split can add comfort to your sunroom quickly and easily. Most mini-splits come in neutral colors, and finding one that blends in with your space is just about always possible.
Create a Zone for Your Upstairs or Basement
If you own a two-story home, you have probably noticed a drastic difference between the upstairs temperature and the floors below it. There can be a real struggle to keep cool on warm summer nights if you have any bedrooms upstairs. If this is how your home is laid out, you may want to consider having a mini-split installed upstairs. Many homeowners love having it installed in their master bedroom, but some prefer it to be installed in the main hallway to help better distribute the air throughout the entire floor. Having a mini-split installed upstairs can not only help keep your bedroom more comfortable, but it can even save you money in the long run as your main HVAC system can run less by not cooling the unused downstairs area overnight.
Just as many upstairs bedrooms stay hot in the summer, many basement bedrooms can become incredibly cold in the winter. While a space heater is an option, it’s not always the best solution and can even be a fire hazard. A mini-split can be installed in just about any location and having a separate zone for just your basement can go a long way in keeping this space more comfortable.
Adding Cooling and Heating to Homes Without a Central HVAC System
If you live in an older home without central HVAC, you may have several window units to keep your home at a certain temperature. While this solution may work, it is not ideal. Window units are typically not very efficient and are prone to breaking or becoming less effective over time. Instead, you should consider having one or even a couple of mini-split ACs installed. We typically recommend having one mini-split installed per floor, and doing so can be a great way to create a zoned system in your home. Choosing to use mini-splits in place of central air can save you money on your utility bills if your home does not already have ducts running through it. You can even have multiple mini-splits work together to heat and cool your home, similar to how a central system would work. Smart thermostats can control more than one system to make your home heating and cooling easier.
Add a Zone for Just Your Bedroom
More and more homeowners are starting to have a mini-split installed in their bedrooms. While you would normally want to heat or cool your entire home to keep everyone comfortable, it is not as necessary if only one bedroom is occupied most nights. Having a mini-split installed in your bedroom allows you to keep the rest of your home at a much more moderate temperature, while still keeping your room just how you like it. A small mini-split is a popular choice as it allows quick cooling without the risk of short-cycling the machine. A small mini-split can be surprisingly affordable and can even help save on the utility bill as it draws much less power than a full-sized air conditioner.
Supplement Your Central Air on the Hottest Days of Summer
Even in homes with great insulation, air conditioners can struggle to cool a home below 20 degrees cooler than the outside air. While this is normally not an issue, some homeowners have probably found their home to be quite uncomfortable during the hottest days of summer. Adding a mini-split to your living area or on your second floor can be a great way to help keep your home cool when the temperatures soar. A mini-split should not be used in place of a failing air conditioner, though, and you should have your air conditioner serviced if you believe it is beginning to fail.
Schedule a Consultation Today
At Summit Heating, A/C, Plumbing & Electrical, we serve Denver, CO, and the surrounding areas and take pride in making more people comfortable in their homes with our ductless systems! We specialize in plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. We also provide services for improving indoor air quality, including humidifiers and dehumidifiers, and we can perform duct sealing and cleaning.
Whether you are interested in having a mini-split installed, curious to learn more about how a mini-split operates, or are in need of any other home service, give us a call at Summit Heating, A/C, Plumbing & Electrical today!
