Your concurn is ligit but by the time you sell mini-splits will likly be far more poplar. I worked with mechanical systems for many years and ms were an instant hit with me. Your largest hurdle will be finding a contractor commited to mini splits. Contractor's lack of knowledge and resulting over priceing has been discussed here on GW several times.

Ductless mini split systems are popular around the Mediterranean and
Middle East where they often are installed as retrofits in structures
that are older than when air conditioning became affordable and
available . Often, such buildings are made of concrete or stone where
small holes can be drilled to run pipes but not to run ducts.

The
on-wall or ceiling units of mini splits have the cachet of an in-window
or through the wall (like in a motel) air conditioner. Which is to say,
they look cheap to a market accustomed to ducted units.

I've had
no exposure to ducted mini splits, but I'd suggest that when it's time
to sell a property, you don't want to have a peculiar story to tell, in
explaining how your house's A/C isn't like what everyone else has. And
that its uniqueness makes it hard to find experienced people to service
it.

First off, my bias. I represented Fujitsu in my business for 12 or so years. I've had them in my last two homes and will never install another piece of ductwork again. Terrific performance. Excellent zoning capability.

The expectation here in North America is that in 10 years 25% of all systems will be mini-splits. Commercial will likely be higher.

We are the only people in the world who H&C by blowing air through tubes. Are we right or the rest of the world right. On energy matters, I think it is generally they who are right.

I would suggest that you stick with Fujitsu and Mitsubishi, the two major brands in the US.

Honestly, most people could care less what type of AC system there is when buying a house. The only potential issue with mini splits and resale is that people would find them ugly, and by going with ducted ones you eliminate that problem. Mini splits have tons of advantages and are the way of the future. Get what you want!

"We are the only people in the world who H&C by blowing air through tubes. Are we right or the rest of the world right."

There's no answer to your question. The list of differences between what's done here and what's done elsewhere is too long to consider. Many American practices (of all kinds) are less energy efficient, the costs of doing so aren't as prohibitive as they are in other countries.

You know well that building practices differ from country to country, even from region to region within the US. When traveling around the Mediterranean, you see mini split units all over, the familiar compressors hanging on wall backets that decorate the exteriors of even tall-ish apartment buildings.

Other than in detached or converted studios or workshops, I've never seen them used in California. They're not rare, they're almost absent. Maybe it's different in other parts of the US. Will the market move to accept them? I doubt it.

In the meantime, when there's a reasonable choice, installing what's considered to be oddball or unconventional equipment in a house, no matter if it's better or worse, could prove to be a problem when it's time to sell.

Mini splits have moved past the point of being exotic in North America. There are people who can service them in most places. They may not be as popular as ducted systems, but they are prevalent enough for service to be a non-issue. They're super reliable too. In some parts of the US (Hawaii for one) they're practically everywhere due to high electric rates.

There is no question that number one, we generally do what is less efficient here. As well, mshp's are not common residentially, or at least a big percentage of the market...yet. That 25% figure is industry perspective. What is happening is that they are growing rapidly across N America. I was recently at the Intnational Builders Show followed by the Air Conditioning Heating Engineers show. All of the U.S. unitary manuf we're featuring mshp. Not of their own manuf, but private label products from Japan, Korea or China.

What is happening in the US market is that there is now an alternative to ducted systems. I have a dual system for my upstairs bedrooms (16.5 seer/9.5hspf), and two singles downstairs (25 seer/12hspf & 21 seer/12hspf). I also have a Rinnai Energysaver gas fired modulating wall furnace for heat. Here in the foothills of the Sierra my peak elec. bill for summer/winter for the whole place, well, house, lights, garage has been $85. Shoulder seasons are around 35-45. With my mini-splits, I am pushing the efficiency of geothermal, for substantially less cost.

The other side of things is that dust sealing according to the new Title 24, duct sealing is required. In my home the duct work was so poor, I pulled the whole system and took it,to the dump. I got two closets and the storage under the stairs. The DOE say that the average residential duct system looses between 18-42% of its energy in duct losses.

If I was in the business today, I'd be getting to the factory trainings. They are not going away, and the consumer now has a more efficient alternative for their comfort at competitive pricing.

Right now, I'd say the biggest barrier to installing a lot of MSHP is the same as regular heat pumps, natural gas is very inexpensive. If you've got no NG or low heating needs, go for it. Have you noticed that the ducted units are not as efficient as the high wall models?

Note to all, duct losses, even high duct losses, are not very important if the ducts are inside the house.

New construction? Look at this before you jump:

"Long-Term Monitoring of Mini-Split Ductless Heat Pumps in the Northeast"

K. Ueno and H. Loomis

Building Science Corporation

November 2014

There is no natural gas available in the neighborhood, and to be fair I am not installing mini-splits for the money. There are a few things that I don't mind splurging on and this would be one of them.

I like the control I get with the mini splits. The ability to have bedrooms cooler than living areas which are cooler than bath areas is something that I miss. I lived in an 1800 sqft villa which had 6 distinct temperature zones. I really would love to have that again. I know I could maybe get that with a zoned traditional system but those systems can get crazy expensive compared to an 8 head mini-split.

I had the LG art cool which performed satisfactory for us when the temperatures outside were absolutely ludicrous (we had a few good hotspells well over 115 degrees and entire months over 105.) They have the added bonus of looking coolish.

While I am not building the house for the neighbors I don't want to run buyers away if I decide to sell. My job is one of those that I can keep forever or at least until I get a better offer. Essentially, I can't be fired but I can decide to leave. So while I am not building a house with the intention of leaving I also don't want to deny the fact that I may decide to.

The first mini-split systems I saw were in houses we rented while vacationing in the Virgin Islands. I was amazed at how quiet they were and the level of control. I really had no idea what it was but when I got home I started googling to learn more. What I learned was these are very efficient and versatile systems and recent inverter technology has made them made them a great choice. Last spring I purchased a 9000BTU SEER 23 unit to cool/heat our master bedroom and bath and was so impressed with it that this fall I purchased a 24000BTU SEER 19 unit for our main living area. This let me eliminate two inefficient, noisy window air conditioners and also gave me the option for heat. The units I have can provide heat even down to -5F temps. (and this week they passed that test) I installed both units myself. I'm pretty handy and have access to the equipment needed to do proper installation. I bought my units online and have less than $2500 in the total install of both units. I am extremely happy with the results.

We've enjoyed our Minisplits, and have LG units.

One thing about the Art cool ones--at the time (and it has been 5+ yrs now) the art cool couldn't be used on dual/triple splits... If that is still the case, they might not be the best option if you intend to install multiple interior units (but I think you know that if you've seen MSHP before).

Did LG get caught fibbing about their efficiency a couple of years ago?

We are building a 2200 sq foot two story house this summer and are
considering a three zone mini split. We
do not like the looks of the inside wall units and are favoring the Fujitsu
Slim Duct which has the indoor units installed in a closet with only a vent
grill visible.

Jackfre: Would love to hear if
any other companies were showing new models similar to Fujitsu’s at IBS. Also has any manufacturers thought of adding
an axillary electric heat element for below 5F.

I was surprised to hear that mini splits are not that popular in North
America. I live in a small town (9500
people) in Northern New Brunswick, Canada and this past summer there were
waiting lists to have units installed with eight installers representing seven
different manufacturers.

I have one concern with these units.
We spend 6 months each winter in Florida and need a unit that will
shut off by itself below 5F and then restart as the temperature gets above
5F. I have heard many stories of units
freezing up in very cold weather and having to be shut down or defrosted
manually. This will not work with us
gone all winter. Would any of the
systems work with this application?

For axillary heat when the mini will not produce sufficient heat we are
considering a combination of electric in floor and baseboards. There is no gas here and propane is very
expensive.

Maybe I should just go with a HVAC system- would love to hear further
comments on this.

I hope I am not high jacking this post but it seems bry911 is asking the
same question, “Are mini splits a bad idea?”.

Minisplits work really well... but I can't say how they'd work in NB with homeowners who aren't there in the winter. Do you winterize the home while you are away? Before we purchased our minisplits, I talked with owners of them. Our first set was purchased in 2009, and we were one of the first people in our area to get them (PNW); but we were replacing electric baseboards. We liked zoning the house; we needed electric; and we wanted our walls back (for furniture placement). After we'd had them a few years, and we remodeled our upstairs, we went with a second set (LG the first time, Mitsubishi the second--no particular reason except that we had more choices for installers the second time around, and chose a different company).

So, my advice would be to see what the experience of those who got their systems last year or anytime in the last 5 yrs has been. Would they do it again? What do they do about winter snow buildup? (we don't have that here, near Seattle).

Kirkhall:

With regard to your comment about snow buildup that could be a problem given that the house is empty for six months at a time. We may need to partially enclose the units. In our past house,for winterizing, we shut the water off, drained and blew out the lines and set the thermostates at 40F.

I had the same question as the OP. We currently have 2 central A/C units (one for the 1st floor and one for the 2nd floor.) the 2nd floor is only 2 small bedrooms with bathroom, maybe 800 sq.ft. max, and the unit is currently in the attic. It seems like an overkill for such a small space and the unit is so big that it's impossible to get into the attic. We recently discovered a roof leak in the attic and cannot get to it from the attic because of A/C in the attic. We also cannot improve our insulation in the attic because of the location of the unit and the ducts. So we decided to take the central A/C down (only for the 2nd floor) and replace it with a mini-split units in each bedroom. This would allow us to remove the equipment from the attic, insulate and we would have better attic access in case of future roof leaks. But I had the same question - are we mad for doing this? We just bought the house 2 years ago, and one of the attractive selling points is the central air. To make it worse, we just replaced the unit last summer so its pretty new. But then we thought about our comfort and what we need yo make the house work for us at this time, and not for some future potential buyer. I guess we will deal with it when the time comes to sell, but perhaps the future buyer can install the central air if they wanted to? We are keeping the 1st floor central air though. Are we making the right decision? Time will tell....

Re: bry911

“I have lived in both Europe
and the Middle East…”

Just curious as to the
reference of ‘911’ in your ‘handle’, September 11, 2001?

Not suggesting anything; just politely asking (“See
something, say something”) …

I would not design and build
a house from scratch in North America with mini-splits for myself or for
resale. You will loose many potential offers that will never be made based on
the perceived ‘negatives’ of the property, mini-splits being a big one.

Central, forced air with
zoning would be my recommendation. If you want ‘cutting edge’ go with
geothermal hydronic for both heating and cooling – no ducts & high
efficiency.

Be prepared to dig deep –
especially into your pockets!

IMPO

SR

Son's birthday...There was a 1 in 365 chance...

How is hydronic for cooling. I know the cost is crazy but hydronic heating is just soo damned comfortable.

Hydronic for residential
cooling may be its future as advances in commercial hydronic cooling, such as
chilled beams carry over to the residential market.

Water is a far more efficient medium for
moving Btu’s around than air. A given volume of water can hold almost
3,500-times as much heat (or lack of heat) as the same volume of air so that a
1-inch pipe carrying water can convey the same amount of heat (or lack of heat)
as a 10in by 20in duct; small circulators verses massive blower motors etc.

This is all before even
discussing HP technology. However, it is all theoretical, possible but expensive.
Conventional central forced air with an air-source heat pump or the mini-splits
may be for you. It’s your choice; I’m sure you’ll do your research and wisely choose
what’s best for you.

SR

Ionized, LG got caught fibbing AGAIN a few years ago...
LOL!

Let me clear up a little misconception of my goals....I could not, and I mean absolutely could not, care any less about their effeciency. The whole effecient home thing is a joke to me, most of the energy saving things out there have a payback period in excess of 10 years and some are looking closer to 20. I am making the decision based solely on the comfort I get for my money. You want to save the planet then put solar panels on your house, most of the rest of this crap is just a fancy way that companies get you to make stupid decisions.

Great topic and I'm in almost same situation. We're in the design phase of building a new home for us. We're in Seattle where cooling is only needed for a few hours on a hot summer day. The outside cools off very quickly after sunset. We've decided on radiant heat to avoid the duct work and want to have mini split for cooling. That's what our architect recommended. She told us that those mini splits are getting much more popular and even in houses over $350/sqf to build. The problem is full house ventilation. Do you plan on using the mini splits for ventilation as well?

There is no vent capability with the most common, hight wall, mini split type. There may be with ceiling cassettes and ducted minis. You will have to check unless someone else chimes in.

Thank you. We did talk with our architect and builder regarding those ducted minis. We all share the same question: what benefits does it make comparing to the traditional forced air system? LOL.