Using Ductless Mini Splits To Heat Your Home
When most people think of ductless mini splits for home comfort, they think of them as air conditioners used for cooling in the summer. Luckily, ductless mini splits can be used to heat your home as well! These systems have become much more popular in recent years for a few reasons, one of them being their ability to provide both heating and cooling.
I have been installing and servicing ductless mini splits and all sorts of HVAC systems for years, and I’ve seen firsthand how far these HVAC units have come. In years past lots of ductless mini splits were just for cooling, but now, they are more energy efficient, whisper quiet, and can also provide heating.
In this article I’ll tell you a little bit more about how ductless mini splits stack up against other heating solutions, and why you may want to use them to heat your home or business. If you’d like to speak to an expert today, give John Cipollone Inc. a call at (610) 446-7877, or you can contact us online!
Do Ductless Mini Splits Provide Heating?
Yes, ductless mini splits provide heating. It used to be less common, with lots of ductless mini splits only providing cooling. Now most ductless mini split units are made with heating and cooling capabilities.
Ductless mini splits function as heat pumps. They draw heat from the air outside, small amounts as it may be, and pump it inside. In areas like ours of PA, heat pumps are perfect for our climate. Even when it’s very cold, it’s usually not so bad as to stop heat pumps from working efficiently. Carrier ductless mini split heat pumps can function in temperatures as low as -22℉.
Ductless Mini Splits Vs Traditional Furnaces
Furnaces have been the more traditional way to heat homes in our area, and really everywhere, in the past. Generally furnaces burn gas or oil to operate, creating heat through combustion. Then the furnace pushes that heat through a series of ducts in your home to make the entire space comfortable. It’s a reliable and simple way to heat your home. We still install furnaces regularly, and love the heating that they provide.
When it comes to ductless mini splits and furnaces, there are a few key differences:
Ductwork
Mini splits require no ductwork. Instead of pumping heat through a series of ducts in your home, mini splits use a condenser outside, and pump the heat through a small bit of tubing. According to Energy Star, 20-30% of the air that passes through the ductwork is lost through small holes and leaks.
This elimination of the need for ductwork helps improve energy efficiency, and also allows older homes that don’t have ductwork the ability to have heating and cooling in every room.
Zoned Heating
Traditional HVAC systems like furnaces will heat the entire home the same temperature. A ductless mini split system zones the heating into different spaces. Instead of having every room, even the ones that aren’t being used, heated to the same temperature, you can treat each space differently.
This zoning will improve your energy efficiency, and also help you customize your comfort. No more fighting over the thermostat. Each space in your home will be heated independently, allowing for different people to choose different temperatures in their rooms.
Environmentally Friendly
Ductless mini splits function using electricity, rather than burning fuel like a traditional HVAC system. This reduces emissions, and helps the environment. In an effort to reduce our environmental impact, the government and energy providers offer tax credits and rebates for high efficiency heat pumps. This is to lessen the initial cost to install one, and encourage homeowners to make the switch to more environmentally friendly HVAC equipment.
Not only do ductless mini splits provide energy efficient heating, they are also environmentally friendly as well! 
Using Ductless Mini Splits To Fix A Cold Spot
One of the greatest advantages to ductless mini splits is that they can be installed easily, without ductwork, as we mentioned. This means they can be installed as a supplement to your current heating system. You may have a room that never stays warm, or an addition to your home, that you need to provide heating to. Instead of adding ductwork or replacing your furnace, installing a ductless mini split can work perfectly to treat that space.
Ductless Mini Splits Vs Space Heaters
In lots of cases, people will use a space heater to treat cold spaces. That works, but isn’t always the best solution. Space heaters can be dangerous, inefficient, and expensive to run. They also don’t always provide the best heating.
If you’ve ever used a space heater, you know that directly in front of it it’s VERY hot, but the further you get, the cooler it becomes. Instead, a ductless mini split will provide more even, balanced heating.
Unfortunately, ductless mini splits cost far more than a simple space heater, but they provide better comfort, will cost less to operate, and can also provide air conditioning in the summer!
They are also safer to operate. Luckily, most space heaters sold in 2025 and on have some sort of safety built into it that if it tips over, it turns off. Space heaters are still responsible for 1,700 fires a year in the U.S. according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Ductless mini splits don’t use a heating element the way a space heater does, and are VERY safe to run.
Installing Ductless Mini Splits In Your Home
Ductless mini splits are perfect for an entire home, or if you simply want to fix a problem area of your home. If you are reading this, then you are already learning more about ductless mini splits, and now the next step is to talk to an expert. If you live in the Ardmore, PA area, or any of the surrounding towns, give John Cipollone Inc. a call at (610) 446-7877, or contact us online. One of our experts will be happy to help you make your home comfortable all year long!