Got a quote for a ductless mini split.. $48K for 1300 sq. ft. house. Too much?

Submitted by EuclidsStairs t3_10jn99y in massachusetts

We just got a quote for a whole-house ductless mini split heat pump installation from HomeWorks energy. We had contacted them through Mass Saves. We have a 1300 sq. ft. house. We were quoted $48,000 (before the 10K rebate). I was shocked at how expensive that was, but maybe I'm naive? I'm wondering if they're inflating prices due to the new rebates. We haven't gotten any other quotes yet; just wondering if this is what I should expect, or if this is on the high end.

Our current heating system is a steam boiler which burns natural gas. Our gas bill has been~$300/month in the winter. We thought we'd save by going to a heat pump, especially since we're going to get solar panels. But even with the $10K rebate, the quote we got would be $340/month for 7 years. At that rate it'd take us over 20 years to recoup the investment! That's... not worth it, especially since we'd have ugly head units sticking out of the walls in nearly every room. I'd prefer to get a ducted system installed but I know installing duct work can be expensive. I'm shocked how expensive the ductless is though; how much more is a ducted system?!?

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downwardspiralstairs t1_j5lfc5s wrote

Holy shit, $48k? Are they also putting in a brand new roof with solar panels?

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cmh413 t1_j5lr6li wrote

Well they install the mini splits and then the installer goes and gets a hot tub and a new car with the difference. Duh.

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bigben1677 t1_j5lfsvn wrote

Way to much. My 1800 sq. ft. house was about 16,000. Done this past summer.

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EuclidsStairs OP t1_j5lhmg8 wrote

Good to know... how many head units did they install? Does your house have multiple floors?

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bigben1677 t1_j5lkldx wrote

1 floor 5 head units. long ranch house

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Teacherman6 t1_j5lsge0 wrote

Do you have a basement? Im looking at possibly getting a heat pump, but we dont have a basement which could be a problem as I have been told.

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bigben1677 t1_j5lz36j wrote

I do have a basement but not sure why it would be a factor. Unless your talking about something besides ductless mini splits.

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test293843 t1_j5mkmq7 wrote

It could be a ducted ductless, as they are often called

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whiteoakforest t1_j5mntu2 wrote

No basement for us. I'm not sure why that's an issue. None of the equipment gets hidden or stored in a basement like a furnace/boiler system. I have an 8 head unit system for 3,900 s/f, and it was $28k in 2018.

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itsyounotmeithink t1_j5mfswn wrote

Sounds like someone's taking advantage of you i would definitely get other quotes before starting anything. Try getting three quotes never let the other contractors know how much or who gave you a quote good luck.

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thatsthatdude2u t1_j5lnqfz wrote

I quote them all day long for a Mass Save partner. Should be about 20K tops, before any rebates of $1,250 per 12,000 BTUs

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AllHailTheHumidor t1_j5oh73m wrote

What about on-demand hot water heaters? I had one installed at my old house in CT in 2020. So far both quotes have been more than double what I paid then, the old house had two bathrooms and this house only has one. There is nothing out of the ordinary about this installation either, both companies said it was a cookie cutter install.

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noodle-face t1_j5liqot wrote

Way too much man

1500 sq ft here and I paid around $10k. We had a family member do the install so I saved a boatload on labor (don't worry, I paid him labor on the side since he did it off-work hours). But 48k is absolutely ridiculous.

Heating for $300/month isn't so bad honestly.

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Cost_Additional t1_j5lfy3s wrote

Yes way too much, should be half that if not less.

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BigScoops96 t1_j5los08 wrote

Might’ve thrown an outrageous number at you to get YOU to say no cuz he’s swamped. Or they’re a slimeball

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_j5lipy6 wrote

We paid $22k last month. 1400sf house.

upgraded electrical, upgraded whole house back-up generator, tricky install of ductwork (1868 structure), used existing floor vents from our previous (oil) heat, and added more. all included.

Now our Heat (70 degrees) and electric (includes all appliances) is $300/mo. Should be significantly less in summer.

Loan payment is $300/mo but we figure we added equity by upgrading the heating system and feels good to drop the fossil fuel.

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boyxblue t1_j5m6d5m wrote

Wow. Are you happy with the quality of work done? If so, I’d love to know who you hired. I’m about to start calling around for quotes.

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debauchedsloth t1_j5lk78g wrote

Yes, that is way too much.

You may want to consider high-pressure ducts - they are small and you can run them just about anywhere you can get a mini-split. We did this at my last house and it worked very well - cheap, too.

I greatly prefer it to having a mini-split head unit hanging around. FWIW.

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EuclidsStairs OP t1_j5lp4d3 wrote

I hadn’t heard about high pressure ducts. Thanks! I’ll look into that. Crazy quote aside, we really weren’t thrilled about head units everywhere.

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Te4646 t1_j5m28v1 wrote

Look up recessed ductless units from Mitsubishi

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wolf95oct0ber t1_j5lkeef wrote

1700sqft house with whole home Mitsubishi hyper heat ductless pumps with a weird layout was about $30k. That estimate seems extremely high. Talk to multiple contractors on the Mass Save installer list and make sure you’ve had a home assessment.

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OldBobKenobi t1_j5lfrl8 wrote

Maybe I’m misunderstanding, but how many zones would you have for your system?

I looked for kicks and found a system for $2289 that has 36k btu as a single zone, and I feel like that would be more than what a 1300 sqft House would need. In what world would it cost an additional 45k in labor to install that??

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[deleted] t1_j5lg2y3 wrote

[deleted]

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OldBobKenobi t1_j5lgjow wrote

But all you would have to do is buy your system and have an HVAC person install it. Even with labor costs and a more expensive system, you’d spend a fraction of that price.

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EuclidsStairs OP t1_j5lh4kn wrote

They wanted to install 8 head units: 2 in the basement, 4 on the first floor, 2 on the second floor. They said required to mini-splits. I think that's why it's so expensive; one unit is quoted as $18K the other is $20K.

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OldBobKenobi t1_j5lhrij wrote

I have a single unit on the first floor of my 2200 sqft house. It cools the entire first floor with minimal effort. We still use a window unit upstairs, but will likely install another mini split in the near future. The total cost to buy and have the first one installed was $5800. That is insane.

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pro_auto_advisors t1_j5lt001 wrote

Yeah we got a cheap-o 18k Mr.Cool system that was like…$2k and you can install it yourself. Cools and heats the 1st floor of our 2000sqft home with no issues.

Support sucks if you need it, but better than paying $10k+ for a single zone

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mountainwocky t1_j5lklgs wrote

I have a two story townhouse of about 1300 sqft. Two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, kitchen, dining room, living room, and half bath downstairs.

About 10 years ago we had a 36000BTU Mitsubishi multi zone ductless unit installed with 4x 9000BTU interior wall units. One each in the dining room, living room, and the two bedrooms.

It keeps the place cool in the summer and warm in the winter unless we get below 20F, then I fire up the pellet stove.

It cost us about $11k. Our installation would have been less expensive, but I had to pay extra in labor to have them run the lines through an interior wall to the second floor instead of on the outside wall because our of our condo complex rules. Normally they’ll just run the lines on the outside wall and cover it with a line set covering that sorta resembles a gutter running on the side of the building. Faster and cheaper.

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wolf95oct0ber t1_j5lklem wrote

Is your basement finished? We have 3 heads on the mai floor and 2 on the second floor.

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[deleted] t1_j5ljqnb wrote

What brand? How many zones?

I spent $35K to put in a ductless system in the basement and first floor and ducted mini split upstairs in the bedrooms and upstairs washroom in my 1,050 square foot home.

Three total zones. But it was a Mitsubishi Hyper Heat system designed to work even in very cold temps, and those are pricey.

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Notmystationbro t1_j5loyda wrote

You get what you pay for with those H2i units. I did the same.

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[deleted] t1_j5lp41o wrote

I’m too poor to buy cheap. I want something that will work well and last and these have a reputation for doing both. 😊

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ConwayPuder t1_j5mybml wrote

I'm confused by your meaning of poor. When I was poor, I bought a $20 space heater to keep my room comfortable at night, in a house I rented with 2 roommates. Id never heard of a heat pump, and buying one wouldnt have been feasible.

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[deleted] t1_j5mylvc wrote

I could buy something cheap that doesn’t work and have repair bills, burst pipes in winter, etc., or I could buy something built to last. I can’t afford constant maintenance and problems so I do the latter.

Re: degrees of poverty, it’s not a competition; a Somali guy your age would view your experience as a palatial one after all.

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Enviroservice1 t1_j5lxwc4 wrote

That’s an outrageous price for a 3 zone . Was it a 3 zone 30kbtus or a 3 zone 36kbtu with a branch box?

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[deleted] t1_j5lzxeu wrote

The latter. Plus a 25 year warranty

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Enviroservice1 t1_j5m3kfd wrote

No such thing as a 25 yr warranty. Highest warranty is 12yrs if a diamond dealer installed it

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[deleted] t1_j5m4wyp wrote

The dealer provided extended service guarantee

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InevitableOne8421 t1_j5li5qq wrote

8 head units makes that number make more sense. We have just two-- one upstairs and one downstairs for 1700 sq ft. It does fine IMO. We supplement with space heaters when needed. I feel like you could get away with fewer head units. 8 seems insane.

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Dreadedtrash t1_j5lnp4a wrote

Seems really high. We were getting quotes for $30k for our 3400 sq ft house with 3 outdoor compressors and like 8 heads inside.

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mdurso12 t1_j5mbymv wrote

I work in hvac. Whatever company you went through is a ripoff

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IamUnamused t1_j5lh49l wrote

for some fun pricing perspective, I had a 3 head ductless minisplit installed in Cambridge in 2012, for $10k

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March_Latter t1_j5lihup wrote

Holy shit, did you slap the guy? Go to the guys shop and slap the guy.

I spent less than 10k on my two story 1400sf house. GREE components with a great SEER rating to get money back from MA.

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Dismal_Ad_9603 t1_j5lvzb1 wrote

Waaaay out of line. I just had a 4 head system installed this past October for 17k. House is approximately 2000 sq Ft.

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Matty_Cakez t1_j5lw4mu wrote

Fuck that quote I got 2 mini splits in my multi family for 14k plus 1.5k for the electrician

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Thisbymaster t1_j5lw6ar wrote

Your contractor says they don't want to do your house. That is crazy expensive. Always get there quotes when doing work like this.

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bluetoad8 t1_j5lwxee wrote

Seems high for the house size but I'd need a lot of elaboration on the quote to see how unreasonable this is

How many heads? What brand/model? Is there electrical upgrade work needed (panel replacement). What's the siding on your house (masonry could raise the price a bit).

I usually recommend getting at least three quotes for large projects like these.

Also, it might be worthwhile asking your homeworks auditor if they are still offering rebates on integrated systems. This would integrate your mini splits with the steam boiler so you would use natural gas when the outside temp drops below the optimal level for the mini split

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eightfingeredtypist t1_j5m9j2y wrote

I just paid $8,900. With a $10 k rebates, so $18,900. For three mini splits to heat and cool a 1700 sf house.

Sandri in Greenfield did it.

I heat with wood anyway, this is back up. It's a good deal for a heating system for when (if ever) I go away over night.

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modernhomeowner t1_j5md27c wrote

I had oil which is much costlier than natural gas, my heat pump was $28k before rebate (2400sqft house). With solar panels and all the math in the world, I'll get my money back by year 27. If you get a heat pump, get it for the comfort and whatever being green is worth for you; don't get it to save money.

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FunkyChromeMedina t1_j5mojfp wrote

OP, we had a 2-zone system put in ~5 years ago. 2x mini-splits downstairs and a ducted system upstairs, run from the same compressor outside. Sufficient to cool/heat a 1,900 sqft house.

Total cost (again, 5years ago) was $16k.

I know prices have gone up since then, but $48k is fucking bananas.

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JaKr8 t1_j5mrc7u wrote

Get a few more quotations. We have a relatively straightforward vacation house in Western Ma, and we were quoted anywhere from $8-22k for a 2 to 4 split on a ~1200sf house. This was 10-18k btu. The latter of which is absurdly overkill.

But I think in Berkshire county these things might actually be a little more expensive, because there are fewer people who do them out this way.

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Maleficent-Guess8632 t1_j5n5wad wrote

If you are only paying $300 for heating don’t do the heat pump. I have a 5 zone Mitsubishi and a solar panel system in MA. My last month Electic bill came in at $800 for my 2500 sqft house I did mine because I was on oil heat..which could had a lot more than the $850..

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Mission_Albatross916 t1_j5ocaq7 wrote

That seems like a really high electric bill. What is the advantage of the Mitsubishi system? It seems like it’s expensive to install and uses a lot of electricity??

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Maleficent-Guess8632 t1_j5omk7z wrote

All I am telling the OP is that don’t go in it with expectation that it’s going to save them money on the heating, because it may not end up being that way.

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Mission_Albatross916 t1_j5omrv3 wrote

Right. Yours isn’t the first post I’ve seen lately about super high electric bills after getting the mini splits or whatever they are called. Yet it seems like the state is pushing this system. I’m just confused

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Polynya t1_j5ncvre wrote

Your are getting lied to. I’ve been quoted $21K for a four head ductless system and new heat-pump water heater for my 1700 sqft house that has some architectural challenges.

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Stoneberger t1_j5o5y7s wrote

I put in my own system with minimal knowledge, installed 4 units with two condensers with room for two more units if we needed it. I paid 6k all in. I had quotes from 14-17k

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Critical-Barracuda92 t1_j5li6uq wrote

Depends on the unit: I have a 4-head, 38k btu system installed for $18k (new install). A quote for a single head, 38k btu (replace existing) for $8.5k. Yours still seems about $10k too much.

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Notmystationbro t1_j5lopvs wrote

You’re getting robbed. Whoever quoted you that post it here so they can be shamed on their social media page if they have one. Ridiculous

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BostonsinBoston t1_j5lrv2a wrote

We're about 1700 sq ft and we did mini splits plus complete oil to gas conversion last spring for about $26k for everything. We used 128 plumbing which are known for being expensive, but they did good work, got it done quickly, and we've been happy with it. We are 2 floors and have 2 units, a large on the first floor and a slightly smaller on the second floor and it cools the entire house.

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Temporary-Coffee2943 t1_j5ltb20 wrote

Literally just got a quote from a company today for 2 units, 1 ducted for upstairs, and 3 heads (ranging from 9000-15000 BTU's) for downstairs, and the total quote was $38K before the MassSave rebates.

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showersingr t1_j5lwxjp wrote

I have a 2200 sq foot house. We had splits installed this summer for $20,000… in central mass.

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Enviroservice1 t1_j5lxm3a wrote

Shit , I’m in mass and a refrigeration license. Most residential guys don’t have licenses . Also most of their refrigeration calculations are off because they don’t use Dimond system builder . I’ll do it for 32.

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Enviroservice1 t1_j5lygcu wrote

You also have to really look hard into the 10k rebate. It’s quite hard to get . You need to install a kumo station and thermostats . The problem is kumo cloud devices are on back order so companies are installing flirs thermostats. It’s similar to putting a nest thermostat on a ductless. You loose all vrf functionality with them. They do not modulate,thus loosing efficiency

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ScientJest t1_j5lyo10 wrote

Way too much and sounds oversized if you have even a little insulation.

I got my 1300 sq ft 2 level home (3 bed 1 bath) done in Nov for $17,000 (before the rebate). 30k btu outdoor unit, 3 indoor heads (1 large for the entire downstairs open floor plan, and one in each of the 2 main bedrooms). LGRed system. Likely should have a 4th for my small office ‘bedroom’ and maybe have gone for the 36000 btu, but still all is working extremely well. Only quote I got even close to that was going ducted heat pumps (we have no existing ductwork) and even that was only $30,000

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Te4646 t1_j5m1yb5 wrote

Holy crap - I got a ductless split in 2019 installed for 13k - 1600 SF house in Salem - two recessed mistubishi units in upstairs bedrooms and a ducted first floor - single heat pump 3 zones - look up recessed ceiling mounted units - wife also didn’t like the look of the head units sticking out and the recessed units did the trick

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leeann0923 t1_j5m4s9h wrote

48K seems very high. We didn’t do a full house replacement as we have an addition with central air but we got two outdoor compressors and 5 inside units for just under 23K (before the rebate) and it probably covers about 2300 sq ft in our house.

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Brighteyed77 t1_j5m50kc wrote

Waaaay too much. 1600 Aw foot house and we paid $14000, but they also upgraded our breaker to 220 amp service.

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bonefish t1_j5m5nay wrote

Might be worth a quick consultation with Abode — they helped us understand options and key questions to ask and gave us a shortlist of contractors during a $100 consult.

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SeaworthinessLeft88 t1_j5m7vhl wrote

I paid $16k for a 1500 sq ft house back in 2016. It’s an LG system, probably not as efficient at temps below around 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit, but it works just fine for heat most of the time.

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datheffguy t1_j5miiqh wrote

Winter is probably the worst time to shop for heating appliances for obvious reasons. Id try again in the spring.

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nevercontribute1 t1_j5mkcuq wrote

4 years ago, we paid $16k for 2 outdoor units (18k BTU and 24k BTU). 1 wall mounted unit and 2 ceiling casettes inside a 3000 square foot house. We also paid another $11k for all new electric service run from the pole to the house (we had 100 amp service and upgraded to 200 amp), replaced 2 old school fuse boxes with breaker boxes, and ran new power out to the outdoor units. Your quote is insanely high.

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alagba85 t1_j5mn4bc wrote

Damn! My quote was 8.5k for 48000 BTU. 2200 sq ft house. Just equipments, not install labor

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Extreme-Baker3886 t1_j5mtz4y wrote

Are you sure that heat pumps are going to be cost effective for you ? If you don’t have solar your probably better off with your current heating system with the current sky high electric rates . You also get to avoid to pay 48k install them .

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HateUsCuzDeyAunus t1_j5mzkl8 wrote

I hooked up two of these for a 800 sq ft space myself. Cost about 5-6k total

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cdiairsoft t1_j5n5tzp wrote

Look up Mr. Cool mini splits. You could probably do your house for about $4,000. Biggest expense will be getting an electrician to hook it up to 220. If you are even moderately competent with tools and can follow a youtube video or two you can do it with no issues.

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Penny-Dobby t1_j5n6fmm wrote

We used AI installers and for Mitsubishi we got 3 9k units a 12k unit and a 18k unit in the attic to cool the upstairs bedrooms and 2 outdoor compressors for 2900 sq feet and 5 zones it was $29k. I would absolutely shop around.

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savory_thing t1_j5nh4si wrote

That’s double what I paid a couple years back for a 2800 sq ft house.

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Louie-XVI t1_j5oceo2 wrote

They quoted me 28k for 2 heads for a space about 600 sq ft. I thought it was a load of bullshit.

Considering the only real costly part of the install is getting the electric right I would look at doing a self install if you are handy. It's mostly boring a hole and hanging the unit then running the duct to the compressor. Hire an electricians to hook it up to your box and save yourself 38k.

I also was considering replacing a little boiler instead of the mini splits and they said that would cost about 18k. For reference they replaced a huge boiler in my house for 12k and told me that a unit half the size would cost 6k more. They also told me they couldn't install a high efficiency boiler in the space because it was right but another company said they would be able to fit it.

IMO they are taking advantage of expected inflation and seriously gouging.

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UniqueCartel t1_j5op48e wrote

These quotes from these fucking contractors are fucking ridiculous lately. I suggest waiting for the next recession before hiring a contractor to do anything. These prices are obscene. I got quoted $20,000 to out a bathtub in an existing bathroom. Insanity

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Substantial_Rip97 t1_j5p21oe wrote

Yes I work in the field call around, you will get a better price, call my company if you would like (800)870-1117 (EF Winslow Plumbing and heating) 48 is straight up robbery and unfair, just remember that w/ whoever you choose! Good Luck!

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Separate-Sky-1451 t1_j5p8kly wrote

I'd get a couple of different quotes. That quote is off the charts.

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cheerocc t1_j5pd3tq wrote

That's A LOT!!!!

I got a ducted system for $15k. That included all new ducting because my house didn't have existing ones. This is why you always call at least 3 companies for a quote. My first quote was for $25k, second was around $19k and the one we eventually went with for $15k.

$48k for that size house is waaaay too much.

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Mediocre_Coconut_628 t1_j5phyeq wrote

Can we name contractors in the sub? I had a company do my house this past weekend for way less than that and he did an amazing job

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Fun_Top5285 t1_j5q1g15 wrote

I got a 2 ton Traine AC, a new 98% efficient 2 stage Traine furnace, a new gas water heater, a WH humidifier, whole house air cleaner, and a whole House dehumidifier for less than 20K installed. You better shop around.

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Interesting-Trash-39 t1_j5q6ke6 wrote

Way too expensive. Get a quote from HomeDepot and Lowe’s. They armrest never the cheapest but usually a fair price.

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Lilslugga2002 t1_j5qlfsb wrote

From 2018 through 2022, after all rebates I spent roughly $11K doing three separate zones in my condo which previously used electric resistance baseboards for heating. I chose to do separates rather than one giant unit outside powering three indoor headunits because the separates can throttle down lower. Plus, if one requires maintenance or dies completely I don't lose heat for my entire unit. So there's redundancy.

  • Mitsubishi MUZ-FH12NA/MSZ-FH12NA (2018)
  • Mitsubishi MUZ-FH09NA/MSZ-FH09NA (2019)
  • Mitsubishi MUZ-FS06NA/MSZ-FS06NA (2022)

I had a $450 electric bill keeping my entire unit no warmer than 64°F with electric resistance baseboards. My most recent electric bill has been around $245 to keep my entire condo between 67°F to 70°F 24/7 with the minisplits.

That quote is insane though.

If you do decide to get minisplits installed see if the town you live in participates in "municipal aggregation". This is the process by which a municipality purchases electricity in bulk from a competitive supplier on behalf of the residents and businesses within the community.

If this is not possible you can also sign up through a third party supplier like Constellation to lock in your supply rate.

If you are lucky enough to live in a town that has it's own electric company you're all set as you are paying half the rate as someone who has National Grid or Eversource.

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kelvin_bot t1_j5qlgwx wrote

64°F is equivalent to 17°C, which is 290K.

^(I'm a bot that converts temperature between two units humans can understand, then convert it to Kelvin for bots and physicists to understand)

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atomicturkey27 t1_j5rkhkl wrote

That seems crazy high. We’re having our entire house fully ducted from the attic, brand new 20 SEER Bosch heat pump and air handler installed for $29k. 1500sqft house, our HVAC company said that going with minisplits would have been a bit cheaper.

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SainTheGoo t1_j5u4bfx wrote

Way too much. We did about half our 1500 sq foot house, 2 bed rooms and the living room for about $11k 6 months ago. 48k seems insane.

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Bm_0ctwo t1_j619i71 wrote

Holy crap get another couple of quotes. We had regular central/heat pump put in for $20k last year.

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ShredNugent t1_j6cdfux wrote

Just got mine installed for $22k before rebate. 1900 sq ft house. 5 heads. 2 Mitsubishi Hyper Heat condensers.

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