I'm looking to power my entire house with solar energy, and I'm stuck on the 18KW central AC system. I have a three-bedroom house. Even if I installed four mini-splits, that would still only amount to 5KW or less. Has anyone out there tried using solar mini split ACs? How effective are they? For context, I believe a 12,000 BTU unit should be sufficient for a room that measures 12 x 18 feet. The other two bedrooms are 12 x 12, and I also have a living room/dining area that's 20 x 24. One advantage to mini-splits is that they typically use brushless motors, resulting in minimal surge and easier compatibility with inverters.
4 Answers
I went with a DELLA 18,000 BTU Mini Split for a sizable area and it’s been working out well; my energy monitoring shows it never exceeds 2000 watts, even in turbo mode. It's installed on a 15 amp 240V breaker here in the southeast USA, using a grid-tie setup. I highly recommend it for a whole-house solution if space and layout allow!
Thanks for sharing! I’m looking for something that won't drive my power bill through the roof.
I have three 9,000 BTU mini-split units along with one 12,000 BTU unit, and I run them all off solar. I usually have no more than two on at once, but I’ve run all four simultaneously without problems. My setup includes a 15 kW inverter and 60 kW of batteries, but if it rains for a week, I do run out of power, so conservation is key during those times. On average, I draw about 3.5k from my system daily, with the mini-splits using only about 500 watts once the room cools down. Mine are also inverter types, so there’s minimal surge during startup—very efficient!
This is exactly what I needed to hear—thank you!
Sounds like you have a solid setup! How's the battery life during cloudy days?
I installed a 9k BTU Pioneer mini-split using a Victron 48/1200 inverter, and it worked flawlessly with zero surge issues. It’s great for keeping my bedroom cool, allowing me to raise the central AC setting when it's running. Definitely worth considering if you want to save on energy costs!
Perfect! I was worried about surge but sounds like you've solved that problem.
I've been using three mini-split units: one from Airspool and two from EG4, which are sourced from the same manufacturer in China. Airspool has a better warranty—no questions asked for a year—while EG4 offers handy easy-connect options. The Airspool has worked great for me for two years now; the EG4 units have been reliable too. They can maintain a good temperature without overburdening the grid power, which is fantastic if you're on a time-of-use plan. They can produce heat down to about 18F, very efficient! For reference, my 12,000 BTU unit uses roughly 1,000W, which is comparable to running two 1,500W space heaters at full capacity.
That’s good to know; does it cool your entire house well?