Mini Split Installation in Price, UT
A new system here will heat from September through May and cool from July through July every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Carbon County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heating a year asks a lot of a mini-split
Winter nights here average 15°F, December through February. A mini-split has to hold its heat output on nights that cold, which comes down to the compressor inside it. Homes in this area need heat from September through May, nine months of the year, and cooling only in July, when afternoons average 80°F.
Any mini-split installed new has to meet the federal minimum for a split-system heat pump, 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. With nine months of heating against one month of cooling, how the unit performs on cold nights matters more here than how it handles that one warm month.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 1 months
- July through July, it cools
- 15°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 80°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Utah requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Division of Professional Licensing tests and keeps records of HVAC contractors in Utah, and that record follows the contractor rather than any single job. Work under $7,000 falls outside that requirement, so a small job can be done without a licensed contractor.
A mini-split installation is not a small job in most cases, and where the cost clears that $7,000 line, the license is what stands behind the work. Most cities and counties in Utah also require a permit for this kind of installation, with an inspection once the work is finished.
Sources: Utah State Legislature · Utah Department of Commerce
- Is a mini split worth it?
- For most homes here, yes, since heat or cooling is needed 10 months out of the year. A mini split handles both from a single outdoor unit, and it heats down into cold weather better than a lot of people expect, which matters when winter nights average 15°F. It also gives you cooling for July without adding ductwork. Most households here heat with gas, so a mini split usually works best added to a room that needs its own comfort control, rather than replacing the main system outright.
- How many rooms can a mini split cover?
- A single outdoor unit can run one indoor head or several, depending on the system. A single-zone unit heats and cools one room. A multi-zone unit runs several indoor heads off one outdoor unit, each with its own thermostat, so you can cover more than one room at different temperatures. How many zones a given outdoor unit supports is a spec of that unit, and a contractor sizing the job will know what fits the house.
- Can a mini split heat a whole house?
- It can, if it is sized and placed for that, but a lot of homes use it to heat part of the house instead. A multi-zone system with enough indoor heads can cover every room, and mini splits keep heating in cold weather better than older heat pumps did. Given that winter nights here average 15°F, a contractor needs to check that the specific unit is rated to keep up at that temperature before you count on it as the only heat source.