What is a Dual Zone Mini Split?

One of the greatest advantages that a ductless mini split system has over traditional HVAC is its heating and cooling efficiency. In today’s post, we want to introduce you to dual-zoned mini splits.

What Is a Dual-Zoned Mini Split?

Ductless mini split systems heat or cool according to zones.

A zone is defined as an area of a home or commercial building that needs specialized cooling or heating.

For example, if a section of your home had old windows, that room would be especially chilly in the winter since the drafty windows allowed cold air in. In the summer, the area would be hotter.

That might be one zone of your home of several.

A zone can be an entire room, half a room, or a corner of a room. With a ductless mini split system, you have the kind of freedom to customize your heating or cooling approximation.

Now that you understand how zones work, we can talk about dual-zoned mini splits.

If a single-zone mini split cools or heats only one zone, then a dual-zoned mini split can cool or heat up to two unique zones. These zones can be adjacent to one another, within proximity, or at opposite ends of the house or commercial building.

Do I Need a Dual-Zoned Mini Split?

You’re new to ductless mini splits and you’re not sure if you need a single-zone or multi-zone mini split such as a dual-zoned mini split system.

Fortunately, here at PowerSave AC, we have this handy HVAC load calculator that will make it easier to determine if a dual-zoned mini split is necessary for your home.

All you have to do is select your region in the United States, the square footage of the room where the mini split will go, the space height in feet, the insulation grade, and the rate of sun exposure.

You’ll also be asked about how many windows this room has, the door and window tightness, whether the room is a sunroom, how many occupants, the type of illumination, and whether the room is a kitchen.

The HVAC load calculator will do the rest!

Most dual-zone mini splits provide at least 18,000 British thermal units or BTUs of heating or cooling power, with some models offering up to 36,000 BTUs.

Thus, if your home or commercial building requires heating and cooling in that range due to the results of the HVAC load calculator, you’re a good candidate for a dual-zoned mini split.

The Benefits of a Dual-Zoned Mini Split

Dual-zoned mini splits are highly advantageous. Let’s take a closer look at how.

  • Gives you the freedom to customize the heating or cooling in your home. If one zone is upstairs and the other is downstairs, the thermostats included with the mini split let you set the temperatures independently.
  • Provides a more comfortable atmosphere for more of your home than a single-zone mini split.
  • Connects to the same compressor your original air-handling unit uses so the installation costs shouldn’t be too high.