Mini Split Installation in Great Falls, MT
A new system here will heat from September through June and cool from July through July every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Cascade County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of heat, one month of cooling
Great Falls asks a mini-split to be a heater first. Winter nights average 16°F from December through February, and homes here need heat from September through June, ten months of the year. July is the only month that calls for cooling, and even then afternoons average just 78°F. That means the unit's low-temperature heating performance matters far more than how well it cools.
A mini-split installed here has to be sized and rated for that cold, not just for a mild summer afternoon. Any unit manufactured from 2023 on has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, but in a climate this cold, the heating side of that rating is what will get used almost every month of the year.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 1 months
- July through July, it cools
- 16°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Montana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
This license comes from Montana's Department of Labor and Industry. It attaches to the contractor, not to each job, so the state tested this contractor and keeps a record of them before they set foot in your home. Montana does carve out an exception for small jobs. Work under $2,500 does not need a licensed contractor. A mini-split installation runs well past that line, so the license applies here.
Most cities and counties in Montana require a permit for a mini-split installation, with an inspection once the work is done. That inspection is what checks the work locally. The state license is what stands behind the contractor before that.
Source: Montana Legislature
- Is a mini split worth it?
- For most homes here, yes, especially as a way to add or replace heat in a room without extending ductwork. Winter nights here average 16°F from December through February, so a mini split going in needs to be sized and rated for real cold, not just mild weather. Heat is needed here most months of the year and cooling only in July, so the unit will spend most of its life heating, and its low-temperature heating performance matters more than its cooling capacity. A contractor can size the system to the room or rooms it needs to cover and tell you whether it will keep up on the coldest nights.
- 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 runs several indoor heads off one outdoor unit, each with its own thermostat, so bedrooms and living spaces can be heated or cooled separately. How many zones make sense for a given house depends on the layout and the size of each room, which a contractor works out from the house itself, not from a general rule.
- Can a mini split heat a whole house?
- It can, if enough zones are installed to reach every room, but that takes planning rather than one indoor unit. A single head warms the room it's in and whatever space is open to it, nothing further down a hallway or behind a closed door. Winter nights here average 16°F from December through February, so each zone in a whole-house setup needs to be sized to keep up on the coldest nights, not just an average one. A contractor can work out how many zones a given house needs and where each one should go.