Mini Split Installation in Tallahassee, FL
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 Leon County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Leon County asks for cooling most of the year, and heat on real cold nights
Your mini-split will run cooling from April through October here, seven months of the year. Summer afternoons averaging 91°F mean the compressor works hard and often. Come November through March, it flips over to heat, working against winter lows that average 42°F. That is a system running in one mode or the other for all twelve months, with barely a break between.
Any mini-split installed new has to meet the federal minimum for a split-system heat pump, 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating. Given how much cooling this system will do, the efficiency it holds onto through a long, hot season matters as much as the number on the label.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 42°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Florida requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Industry Licensing Board tests contractors and keeps records on them before issuing this license, and the license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. So the license on file covers the business taking on the work, not just this installation.
In most cities and counties, installing a mini-split also needs a permit from the local building office, with an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is separate from the license. It is what confirms this particular installation, in this house, was done right.
Sources: Florida Legislature · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
- Is a mini split worth it?
- For most homes, yes, especially in a room or addition that a central system does not reach well. A mini split heats and cools that space directly, so you are not paying to condition rooms you are not using. Homes here need cooling from April through October and heat from November through March, so the same unit earns its keep most of the year. A contractor can look at the specific room or house and tell you whether it makes more sense than extending ductwork.
- How many rooms can a mini split cover?
- A single outdoor unit can run one indoor head or several, depending on the system. A single-zone system covers one room or open area. A multi-zone system ties several indoor heads back to one outdoor unit, with each head running on its own thermostat. How many rooms one setup can actually cover depends on the size of the rooms and how the system is sized, so a contractor needs to look at the layout before giving you a number.
- Can a mini split heat a whole house?
- It can, if it is sized and placed for that job, but most mini splits are installed to cover one room or a few rooms rather than a whole house. A multi-zone system with enough indoor heads can heat every room, with each zone controlled on its own thermostat. Winter nights here average 42°F, so the heat pump needs to be sized to keep up on the coldest nights, not just the mild ones. A contractor can work out whether a whole-house mini split setup fits the house or whether it makes more sense paired with existing heating.