Ducted or ductless?

Ducted

The outdoor unit connects to a coil at the furnace or air handler, and air moves through your existing ducts. If you have a forced-air furnace, this is usually the cleanest fit, with one outdoor unit, one thermostat and nothing new on the walls.

Ductless

A mini-split puts indoor heads on the walls. Each head needs a line set, a control cable and a condensate drain to the outside, usually bundled under one cover on the exterior wall. Each head controls its own room.

One head is often a one-day job. Several heads on one outdoor unit cost about twice as much, because every head adds its own line route.

Which fits your house

• If you have ducts throughout the house, go ducted. You already paid for the ducts.
• If you heat with a boiler or baseboards and have no ducts, ductless adds cooling and efficient heat without new ductwork.
• If one room never keeps up, like an addition, an attic room or a garage studio, one ductless head usually fixes it.
• If your ducts are undersized or leaky, compare the cost of fixing them with a ductless layout.

For more on both, see heat pump installation on unicolorado.com.