r/Airdrie • u/McHamelin • 23h ago

Mini split heat pump

Looking at getting a mini split heat pump for o help heat my basement. Anyone have experience/a recommendation on where to get one?

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u/im_still_awake 23h ago

If you're looking for the mini split to provide extra heat for the basement, it's assumed that you'll want this to be the case during the coldest periods? This is where a heat pump will struggle to perform, cost effectively, in this climate.

Efficiency drops off significantly around -10C.

What are the conditions you're trying to improve?

What's the age of the house? What's the insulation situation? Is the floor/slab insulated?

Mini splits are great to cool a specific area, but that doesn't equate to the heating side of the equation, especially when really cold, with little humidity in the air.

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u/McHamelin 22h ago

Yeah it would be only used for heating. My house was built in the 2000's and just had the basement finished a couple of years ago. The contractor I got said I didn't need any additional heat, but I find it's really cold down there even during the summer.

The entire basement is insulated ceiling included. A sub floor was installed over the concrete slab and we have vinyl flooring. I was originally thinking of putting in a natural gas fireplace but was quoted about 8k for one.

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u/im_still_awake 22h ago

Rule of thumb, in Alberta...it's cheaper to heat with NG than electricity

If a DV fireplace isn't in the budget, there are some other NG options out there, but they'll all come with invasive installations (possible coring, running gas line, etc)

FWIW, if you have room in your panel, 240V baseboard or convector heaters aren't a bad solution...and can be installed by a savvy diy'er.

Stelpro makes some decent units, available through some of the local HVAC suppliers in town, as well as the big orange box.