Quote:
Originally Posted by nokiasixteth
Main that we stay in is 556 other part is 418 and the wash room is 80 sq ft but it stays shut up most of the time.
Found 2 mini splits 1 is 15 eer 623 and the other is 1130 both are plus freight.
Would it be worth it to fork out the extra cash on the 5 extra eer. Or would that play much of a difference
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You are talking about needing a mini-split for heating, but in MS, you'll probably need A/C more.
But let's just say you were only concerned with heating. The most important measure of a mini-split performance for heating is the
Heating Season Performance Factor, or HSPF. A lot of the sales people will not know anything about this, but it is a specification that is required by the US Government to be available so that you can make the right choice. If you tell them that you will not buy any mini-split that does not have the HSPF, they will suddenly be able to find it. The higher the SHPF, the less electricity you will need to use for heat.
If you were going to use your mini-split more for cooling than for heat, you would want to know what the SEER is. The higher the SEER, the less electricity you will need to use for cooling.
A unit with a high SEER doesn't always have the highest HSPF, so it's good to know both.
Next to consider is how much do you think you will be running your unit? If you will be running it a lot for cooling, then it will be to your advantage to get the one with the highest SEER. If you will be running it a lot for heating, then it will be to your advantage to get the one with the highest HSPF.
If you don't think you will be running it very often, then a lower performer would probably be just fine.
I did a mathematical calculation on this very thing for my shop which needs heating, but I don't use my shop very often. So in my particular case, a lower performing unit would be way better than an electric room heater and would pay for itself pretty quickly. But if I was in my shop all the time, then it would be worthwhile getting a high performance unit in the long run.
I lived a while in MS so I'd imagine that your heating season will predominate. If you have some good shade around your house, and good insulation, you might be better off with a lower performer which is a cheaper unit.
So it all depends on your house.
Also, what brand it is matters. They're all made in China, but different brands are built to different specs. We have heard very good things about Sanyo, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi. I have nothing to say, either good or bad, about the Chinese brands. We just haven't heard very much about them, long term.
(My own personal opinion on the matter is to get the highest performer you can afford, I doubt that you'll regret it.)
Best,
-AC