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Mini Split Installations for North Bend & Eastside - Common Questions

Our customers often ask which system is best – mini split or ducted?  Like most questions in HVAC, the answer depends on the house and the priorities of the homeowners.  Let’s look at the primary differences.

Do you need room by room temp control?

Mini split systems are controlled individually.  Each heat unit comes with its own remote and can be controlled individually.  Note – this does not mean you can run one room with air conditioning and another in heating mode.   The separate mini split units still operate from a single outdoor unit, which can only run in one mode at a time.

When individual control matters

Do you have a single room that runs much warmer or cooler than the rest of the home?  A home office is a good example.  Due to the heat from computers, screens, etc. these rooms tend to run warm.  The ability to individually cool a room in this scenario can be very helpful.  Two or three story homes often have large temperature differences as well.  Traditional ducted systems struggle in these scenarios and typically lead to a 4-7 degree temperature delta between the floors.  In practice, this means if you want your upstairs bedroom at 70F, the lower floor will often drop to 65F, which can be uncomfortable (and wasteful).

What is the scope of your project?  1-3 rooms vs. whole house?

If you’re primarily concerned with heating or cooling one room of the house, a mini-split is certainly the best choice.  The overall system will be less expensive and offer better control.  However, once you’re considering two, three or more rooms, it becomes more complicated.  Each mini split will require a dedicated line set to carry the refrigerant from the unit to the outdoor compressor.   This requires a fair bit of labor and materials.  Once you’re at 3 indoor units, your cost will likely exceed a traditional system installed with your furnace.

Do you qualify for PSE credits for mini splits?

If you’re a PSE electric customer, a $1,500 credit is currently available (subject to change at any time!).  Most of the Eastside, North Bend, Snoqualmie, etc. is within this service range.   This isn’t exclusive for mini split installs, it applies for ducted heat pumps as well. Note – your primary existing heat source must be electric resistance (i.e. baseboard or wall heaters or an electric furnace).  If you have a gas furnace, this does not apply.

Map of mini split rebate coverage for North Bend & surround area

PSE heat pump rebate requirements

  • You must be a current PSE single family residential electric customer. Single-family new construction, multifamily (five or more attached units) and commercial accounts are not eligible.
  • Your current primary heating system* must be electric resistance. This includes: electric forced air furnace, baseboard, cable, wall heater, or electric hydronic.
  • Customers with existing natural gas forced-air furnaces or natural gas boilers are not eligible.
  • Customers with existing heat pumps, or have installed a new heat pump as air conditioning only are not eligible.

Equipment requirements (ducted)
Electric forced-air furnace to air-source heat pump conversion:

  • Your new traditional unitary heat pump system must be AHRI Certified®
  • Heat pump must have an HSPF of at least 8.5, or HSPF2 of at least 7.2. For units that have both HSPF and HSPF2, the HSPF rating will be used to determine eligibility.
  • Must install to comply with all federal, state and local code requirements.

Equipment requirements (ductless)

  • Your new ductless system must be AHRI Certified® as a variable speed mini-split and multi-split heat pump and use inverter technology, and be a minimum of ¾ ton in heating mode.
  • It must have an HSPF of at least 9.0, or an HSPF2 of at least 8.1. For units that have both HSPF and HSPF2, the HSPF rating will be used to determine eligibility.
  • At least one indoor head must be installed in the main living (high-flow) area of the home; bedroom only installations do not qualify.
    Must install to comply with all federal, state and local code requirements.