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Mini Split Installation in Brookings, SD

A new system here will heat from September through May and cool from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Brookings County will get in touch.

Tell us about the job

It takes about a minute.

Step 1 of 3: Equipment
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What a mini-split in Brookings has to handle

Winter nights here average 8°F from December through February. A mini-split installed in Brookings needs to hold heat at that temperature, not just in a cold snap but through most of the winter. Summer only asks for afternoons around 79°F, which is a light load by comparison. Between the two, homes here need heat or cooling all 12 months of the year, with the heating side doing the harder work for nine of them.

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. In Brookings, where heating carries most of the load, the HSPF2 number matters as much as the cooling rating, since that is the one being tested on the coldest nights.

9 months
September through May, your system heats
3 months
June through August, it cools
8°F
the average winter night it heats against
79°F
the average summer afternoon it cools against
Isometric cutaway illustration of a small house with a dark shingled roof, showing two wall-mounted indoor air conditioning units in separate rooms connected by lines to an outdoor condenser unit on the ground outside.
Your system heats September through May and cools June through August.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

In South Dakota, HVAC licensing for homes is left to the cities and towns.

Brookings County does not run its own contractor license, so whether a mini-split installer is licensed comes down to whether the specific city has that rule on its books. No fact here says what any one city checks, only that the state leaves the question to them.

For this job, the part you can count on is the permit. Installing a mini-split adds wiring and a refrigerant line set, and in most cities and counties that work needs a permit from the local building office along with an inspection once it is done. That inspection is what checks the work was done right, not a license.

Source: South Dakota Legislature

Is a mini split worth it?
For a lot of homes in Brookings, yes. Winter nights here average 8°F, and a mini split rated for cold climates can keep producing heat at that temperature. Because the same unit heats and cools, it also covers the summer months without separate equipment. Whether it makes sense for your house depends on how it is laid out and what heating you have now, and a contractor can walk through that with you.
How many rooms can a mini split cover?
A single-zone mini split heats and cools one room or one open area well. If you need coverage in several rooms, a multi-zone system runs more than one indoor unit off a single outdoor unit. The right number depends on the size of each room and how the house is laid out, which is something a contractor sizes for your home.
Can a mini split heat a whole house?
It can, if it is sized and placed for that. A multi-zone system puts an indoor unit in each room or area that needs heat, all run from one outdoor unit, so the whole house is covered rather than just one space. Brookings needs heat nine months a year with winter nights averaging 8°F, so the outdoor unit has to be rated to keep producing heat at that temperature. A contractor can look at your floor plan and tell you how many indoor units it would take.
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