Where Mini-Splits Make Sense in Monument

Monument’s housing stock creates a lot of situations where ductless mini-splits are the right answer. The custom homes that make up communities like Woodmoor and Kings Deer often have finished spaces – workshops, detached garages, bonus rooms, basement media rooms, sunrooms – that were never connected to the main HVAC system or were added after the original system was designed. Extending ductwork to these spaces is often impractical or cost-prohibitive. A ductless mini-split provides efficient heating and cooling to these spaces without the disruption and expense of major ductwork installation.

Older Monument Homes Without Central Cooling

Some Monument homes, particularly older properties that were built with boiler heating systems, have never had central air conditioning. Adding whole-home central AC to a home without ductwork is a major project. A multi-zone ductless mini-split system gives these Monument homeowners efficient cooling – and supplemental heating – throughout the home without requiring ductwork to be installed throughout a finished property.

Mini-Splits and Monument’s Cold Winters

One of the most important considerations for Monument mini-split installations is cold-climate performance. Traditional mini-split systems lose heating capacity in cold weather and were a poor choice for Monument historically. Modern cold-climate rated mini-split systems maintain meaningful heating capacity well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. WireNut recommends cold-climate rated systems for all Monument mini-split installations where winter heating is part of the use case, which is most of them at 7,000 feet on the Palmer Divide.

• Detached and converted garages. Monument garages get brutally cold in winter and can be uncomfortably warm in summer. A mini-split provides year-round comfort for a workshop, gym, or converted garage space without a full duct system.
• Home additions and bonus rooms. Adding square footage to a Monument home often means the existing HVAC system cannot adequately condition the new space. A mini-split for the addition is typically faster and less expensive than extending the main duct system through finished walls.
• Sunrooms and enclosed patios. Sunrooms in Monument get intense solar gain and need dedicated cooling. A mini-split provides targeted conditioning exactly where it is needed without stressing the main system.
• Basement finishing. Monument basements stay cool naturally in summer but can be cold in winter. A mini-split provides efficient heating for a finished basement without requiring ductwork throughout the space.
• Homes without ductwork. Older Monument homes with boiler heating can get efficient cooling and supplemental heating with a ductless mini-split system without the expense and disruption of installing ductwork throughout a finished home.
• Multi-zone whole-home systems. A multi-zone mini-split system with multiple indoor units connected to one outdoor unit can provide independent climate control for different areas of a Monument home.

Here is where Monument homeowners most commonly use ductless mini-split systems.

Sizing Mini-Splits Correctly for Monument Homes

Mini-split sizing at Monument’s elevation requires the same altitude adjustment that all HVAC equipment sizing requires here. Lower air density at 7,000 feet affects both heating and cooling capacity, which means a system sized by standard calculations without accounting for Monument’s altitude will underperform in both summer and winter. WireNut’s technicians account for Monument’s elevation in every mini-split sizing recommendation, so your system can actually deliver the comfort it is rated for in our specific conditions.