The most common mini split installed is a 12000 BTU unit to one Ton which can heat or cool up to about 600 square feet (about twice the area of a parking space). The most common mini split installed is a 12000 BTU unit to one Ton which can heat or cool up to about 600 square feet (about twice the area of a parking space). We know that the square footage that a mini split can cool depends on the size, or number of BTUs of the mini split installed. When you are choosing a mini-split based on the BTU rating specifications of your home, bear in mind that the units’ heating capacity should be a tad higher than its cooling capacity.
Now that you have an understanding of why choosing the right sized mini-split is so important, it’s time to discuss how mini-splits are sized. Or if your house is 1,500 sq ft and you want to cool it in the summer, then a 2-ton mini-split can provide adequate cool air. To get a general idea of what sized mini-split you will need for your space, consult the sizing chart below. As ductless mini splits continue to gain popularity it is important to understand the factors that influence what size system your home will need.
As ductless mini splits continue to gain popularity it is important to understand the factors that influence what size system your home will need. Smaller bedrooms generally require up to 9,000 BTUs. In general, the larger the room, the higher the BTU rating your unit will need. This chart estimates appropriate mini-split sizes based on the square footage of individual zones.
The most popular single-zone mini split is the 12K or one-ton unit. You can estimate the size of the mini-split system needed for a bedroom by calculating your total square feet. Generally, mini split air handlers are offered in 9K, 12K, 18K, 24K, and 36K options. Used as a single zone for smaller spaces, it features often in workrooms, garages, offices, outbuildings, and additions.
If you are considering installing a multi-zone system, you will need to combine the total amount of BTUs needed in order to determine the system’s overall BTU values. A mini-split can have a rating of as low as 6,000 BTUs to as high as 56,000 BTU. However, if your bedroom is larger than 400 square feet, your mini-split will need to generate at least 12,000 BTUs per hour to maintain a comfortable temperature. Each indoor unit of a mini-split system is designed to provide a specific amount of cooling and heating power, measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units).
On the other hand, I recommend mini-splits with at least 24,000 BTU per hour for larger 3-car garages. On the other hand, I recommend mini-splits with at least 24,000 BTU per hour for larger 3-car garages. Mini-splits with 34,000 BTU per hour energy capacity are recommended for spa salons, big restaurants, and large stores larger than 1,000 square feet. Usually, you just need to measure your room or space (in square feet) and make sure it is under (and near) the mini-split’s coverage area.
To determine the properly sized mini split ductless system for your home, find a local Carrier expert to perform a load calculation. It is also a common part of multi-zone systems as well. Depending on the size of your home, you may need to install multiple mini split AC systems — perhaps of varying sizes — to adequately heat or cool the property. Usually, homeowners with good ventilation systems and insulation in their homes won’t need mini-split systems with higher power requirements.
These multi-zone mini split systems are efficient and able to heat well below zero and cool at efficiency ratings as high as 31 SEER. When dealing with multi-zone mini-split systems, it’s important to choose individual air handlers for each area.
How many square feet will a 24000 BTU mini-split heat?
According to MiniSplit Warehouse, “A Mini-split with 8,000 BTUs per hour of power, can cool a space up to 300 square feet perfect for small living areas and bedrooms. For many DIY-ers, one of the best options for installing a ductless mini-split 24000 BTU is to consider a hybrid installation. Choosing the appropriate BTU tailored to your space is essential for optimal comfort, cost savings, and environmental responsibility. Mini-splits with a power of 24,000 BTU per hour can warm or cool areas ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 square feet.
It is recommended to have mini-splits with 36,000 BTU energy capacity to cool a 1,000-square-foot house. If your home is 1,000 sq ft and you want to heat it in the winter, then a 2-ton mini-split would be able to do so for you. A hybrid installation strikes a cost-effective balance, providing a sense of control and financial savings while ensuring a correctly installed and efficient ductless mini-split system. However, if your space has vaulted ceilings, lots of windows, or poor insulation, basing it on square footage alone won’t be accurate.
I hope that my quick breakdown of the recommended sizes for mini-split systems has helped you make a more informed decision on your purchase. A bigger mini-split will cool the house down quickly but not remove any moisture from the air or latent heat from inside the home. In my experience, most mini-split heat pump manufacturers include or recommend a “coverage area in square feet for their heat pumps. Rooms with vaulted ceilings and 2-story great rooms will need larger mini-split heat pumps to heat and cool these spaces.
Is it better to undersize or oversize a mini-split?
This hinders how much heating and cooling the unit can provide right out of the gate, which can leave you wanting more. I have to vastly oversize it because it is not maintained at a constant temp so it takes allot of BTUs to quickly get the heat out of the air in the building and then the items in it. Understanding BTUs is vital for selecting a system that matches your space’s size and needs, ensuring optimal performance and energy efficiency. If the system is undersized, it may not adequately cool or heat your space, leading to discomfort and constant running, which increases energy costs.
If you undersize, then do some more air sealing and add insulation as a way to right size the equipment. If you can get the power back on and stabilized, you’ll realize that an oversized mini split is prone to overheating. If you knowingly undersize it by 10%, and your actual load is 10% higher, then your actual undersizing is pretty big. And when you do, you end up with some of the same problems you get from oversizing conventional systems.
Spray foam is better only if it also covers all that interior steel in the same thickness as the skin. It will, however, give you a better understanding of how your local expert determines the proper ductless system sizing, and should give you a good idea of sizes you can expect when they are done. The discrepancy in the prescribed estimates is disconcerting in itself, but understandable, given that some calculators have more parameters than others. After all, it’s difficult to calculate your exact heating and cooling loads, and the extra bit of leeway gives you peace of mind that you’ve not undersized your mini split.
The disadvantages of oversizing HVAC systems are numerous and should be considered if energy efficiency and cost savings matter to you.
What is the rule of thumb for mini-split sizing?
Depending on whether you live on hotter or colder weather, your mini-split can be sized differently because of it. And third, maybe a ducted mini-split is the better option when it comes to extremely efficient building envelopes, even though they are somewhat less efficient (as was suggested by Mitsubishi). In these cases, the mini-split will start to short cycle, adding small amounts of heat to the house at quite low efficiencies. As always it is important to realize that common sense is the first rule of thumb, closely followed by experience in space, if any.
If a ceiling is taller, then the room will have more space, meaning that a mini split system with a higher capacity will be needed to properly heat or cool the increased amount of air. Finding the correct size of the mini-split your living space needs is done via a process called load calculation. Even if mini-splits are equipped with this type of technology, it is still essential that the unit is sized correctly for your home. Therefore, it is always a good idea to contact your local trusted technician to help you determine the ductless mini-split sizing appropriate for all the rooms in your home.
The size of a room’s ceiling has a direct impact on how much space it has and how air circulates within it. There are rules of thumb that are often used for estimations, but they can vary depending on the equipment you’re using – For example, some brands recommend calculations of 25 BTUs per square foot, but 20 BTUs per square foot is more frequently used when estimating BTU requirements, contractors should be aware of these If you want to cool a 1,500-square-foot home for example, you’ll need roughly 30,000 BTU (2,5 tons) of cooling output, which means you’ll need anything from one to three mini splits. When selecting a mini-split system for your home, your sizing consideration should include the size of the room for a single-zone application or each room for multi-zone configurations. A ductless mini-split that is too small also tends to work harder and longer to make up for its inadequacy.
These low rates of air flow aren’t capable of transferring enough heat from one room to another to equalize indoor temperatures. An expert technician may conduct the following steps to get a general estimate of the right mini-split sizing. Air transfer grill I’ve read about air transfer grills with a low wattage fan that kicks in when there are temperature differentials between rooms. It is crucial to properly size a mini split system for rooms with different ceiling heights in order to ensure that heating and cooling is efficient and effective.
Homeowners generally know more about their home and its peculiarities and challenges than anyone and understand the climate and tendencies of their locational factors better than a supposed expert from an armchair study. As a general rule, If a room has a ceiling higher than 8 feet, your HVAC dealer might recommend a mini split system with more BTUs. As a general rule of thumb, a 12,000 BTU air handler heats and cools a room size of 550 to 800 square feet. Mini-split systems should preferably be serviced twice a year, in the spring and fall, for optimal performance.
For open plan areas or large rooms with high ceilings, a 24,000 BTU mini split heating and air conditioner system can usually handle up to 1,5000 square feet. The house is heated with two single-source Mitsubishi 12,000btu mini-splits; one on the first floor and the other on the second. The environmental conditions and other external factors also play a huge role in determining the proper size of the mini-split you need. Mitsubishi concluded that the problem was occurring because the heat pumps are oversized, but added even the smallest mini-splits (9,000 btus) would have resulted in the same issue (because the lower limit on both the 12,000 btu and 9,000 btu units is essentially the same).