Mini Split Installation in San Antonio, TX
A new system here will heat from November through March and cool from April through October every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Bexar County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A San Antonio mini-split works most of the year
Cooling runs April through October here, seven months, with summer afternoons averaging 95°F. Heat is needed November through March, five months, on nights that average 43°F. Between the two, a mini-split in Bexar County is doing one job or the other all year.
Any new unit has to meet the federal minimum for a split-system heat pump, 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. With this much of the year spent cooling or heating, both numbers matter for what you install.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 43°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 95°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation tests and keeps records on the contractor, not on each job. That license tells you the person doing the work has met the state's standard, but it does not follow the mini-split into your house.
That is what the permit is for. In most cities and counties, installing a mini-split needs a permit from the local building office, and the work gets inspected when it is finished. The license covers who is allowed to do the job. The permit and inspection cover whether this particular installation was done right.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Is a mini split worth it?
- For the right room or space, yes. A mini split handles both heating and cooling from one unit, and homes here need one or the other 12 months a year, so that matters. It also gives you a way to heat or cool a room without ductwork, and since most homes here heat with electricity, a heat pump system like this one can cover that job efficiently. Whether it makes sense for your whole house depends on the layout, so a contractor will need to look at the space to say for sure.
- How many rooms can a mini split cover?
- A single outdoor unit can run one indoor head or several, depending on which system you install. Single-zone systems cover one room. Multi-zone systems run several indoor heads off one outdoor unit, each with its own thermostat, so you can heat or cool different rooms to different temperatures at the same time. How many zones your house needs comes down to square footage and layout, which is something a contractor sizes on site.
- Can a mini split heat a whole house?
- It can, if enough indoor heads are placed to reach every room. A ductless heat pump moves heat instead of burning fuel for it, and it works the same way in reverse for cooling, so one system can carry a house through both. Winter nights here average 43°F from December through February, so the system needs to be sized to keep up through the coldest nights, not just on mild days. That sizing is specific to the house, so a contractor will need to calculate it room by room.