Ductless Mini-Splits
Mitsubishi mini-splits for garages, sunrooms and hot rooms, from a Diamond Contractor. We repair all makes.
Where are you right now?
People come to ductless for a few different reasons, and each one leads to a different conversation.
One room never gets comfortable. The garage, the sunroom or the master bedroom is hot and sticky while the rest of the house is fine.
You need more than one room, or the house has no usable ductwork. One outdoor unit can serve several rooms, and the indoor units don't all have to hang on a wall.
You're deciding between ductless and central air. They solve different problems. Here's how to tell which one is yours.
You already have a mini-split, and it's acting up. Dripping, blinking, not cooling or smelling musty: we repair all makes, including ones we didn't install.
The room your central AC can't reach
Most of the mini-splits we install go into a garage or a single room that runs hot: a sunroom, a master bedroom, or one hot spot the rest of the house never seems to share. The trouble is usually that the room shares a thermostat with everything else, and the central system was sized for the house it had, not the house you have now.
A mini-split takes a different approach. A small outdoor unit connects to an indoor unit, usually mounted high on a wall, through refrigerant lines, a power cable and a drain line that pass through a small opening in the wall. The room gets its own cooling and its own controls, and the central system goes on doing what it was built for.
Garages come up more than any other room, and they're where a good conversation up front matters most. For a garage we look at three things: how well it's insulated, how you use it, and how often the big door is open. A mini-split can make an insulated garage a comfortable place to work all afternoon. It can't keep up with the door rolled open on an August day, and we'd rather tell you that now than after installation day.
More than one room, or no ductwork at all
Some houses were built without ducts, and some have ducts in such poor shape, or in such an awkward place, that starting over without them makes sense. A multi-zone system connects several indoor units to one outdoor unit. Each indoor unit serves its own zone: an open living and kitchen area may be a single zone, while bedrooms behind closed doors usually need their own. Every zone gets its own controls, so you cool the rooms you're using and leave the guest room alone until the guests arrive.
The indoor unit doesn't have to be a box on the wall, either. We install:
- Wall-mounted units, the most common choice, mounted high on a wall.
- Ceiling cassettes, which sit nearly flush in the ceiling and blow air out in several directions.
- Small ducted units, tucked out of sight in an attic or closet, which feed a few nearby rooms through short runs of duct.
For larger homes and light commercial buildings, we also install Mitsubishi's VRF systems, which run many indoor units from one outdoor system.
The trade-offs are worth hearing up front. Most indoor units are visible, each one needs a route for its lines and drain, and a closed door stops a mini-split's air just as surely as it stops a draft.
Ductless or central air?
The right answer depends on the problem you're trying to solve.
- A mini-split fits a room the central system can't serve well, a space you want on its own controls, or a home without usable ducts.
- Central air is still the usual choice for cooling a whole house evenly with one system and equipment you don't see. If your central system is the real problem, start with whether it's worth fixing.
Our technicians are paid hourly, not on commission.
What to expect, humidity included
Like any air conditioner, a mini-split pulls moisture out of the air as it cools; that's the water running out of its drain line. It isn't magic, though. A room with a lot of outside air coming in, like a sunroom with gaps or a garage with the door up, will stay humid. And a unit that's too large for its room can cool it quickly and shut off before it has removed much moisture, leaving the room cold and clammy. That's why we look at the room itself, not just its size, before recommending a unit.
Two more things. The outdoor unit needs a spot with clearance and a path for its lines. And a mini-split won't fix a central system that's failing; if that's the real issue, start with a repair visit.
15 questions every homeowner should ask an HVAC contractor
License verification, permits, a matched system, ductwork and written warranties — the things that decide whether an AC install actually fits the house.
What the estimate looks like
A mini-split estimate is free, and it happens at your home. We look at the room, where the indoor and outdoor units could go, how the lines and drain will run and where the power will come from. Tell us how you use the space and what bothers you about it now. A garage you visit for ten minutes and a garage you work in all afternoon are different jobs.
Installations are quoted in writing before any work starts, with the equipment and the warranties listed. If another company has already quoted you, call us and we'll go over that quote with you for free. The installation is done by our own employees, including the electrical work, which our own electricians handle, and we pull the permit when one is needed. We stand behind the installation with our one-year workmanship warranty, which is separate from the manufacturer's coverage.
We don't publish starting prices, because the cost depends on the equipment and on what it takes to run the lines, drain and power in your house. Here's how we price our work, and if you'd rather spread out the cost, see our financing options.
Why Mitsubishi, and the 12-year warranty
The ductless systems we install are Mitsubishi Electric, and we're a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Contractor with Elite status, the top tier of Mitsubishi's contractor program. That matters for your warranty. On a residential system installed by a Diamond Contractor, Mitsubishi warrants the parts and the compressor for 12 years.
Mitsubishi sets the conditions. Its terms require the system to be installed in a single-family home, registered within 90 days of installation, and owned by the original owner living in the home. Read Mitsubishi's warranty terms, and ask us how registration works. That 12-year coverage is Mitsubishi's, on parts and the compressor; our one-year workmanship warranty covers the installation itself.
When your mini-split acts up
We service all makes of mini-split, including ones we didn't install. They tend to fail in a few familiar ways: water dripping from the indoor unit, a unit that runs but doesn't cool, lights blinking on the front panel, or a musty smell when it starts up. Call us and describe what you're seeing, including the blink pattern if there is one. You don't need to open anything up.
Repair visits have no separate trip or diagnostic fee. Repairs are billed mostly for time and parts, with some at a flat rate, and there's a minimum charge for the visit. Before any work starts, the technician will explain the expected cost of the repair. Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, and we provide emergency service on nights and weekends through an automated on-call system that our own technicians respond through.
If an older mini-split has a major failure, we'll lay out the repair next to a free replacement estimate and let you weigh them, just as we would for a central system. If a repair visit leads to a replacement, we review what you've paid us and credit what we fairly can toward the new system.
Keeping it clean
The owner's manual covers basic filter upkeep. Deeper cleaning of the coil, blower wheel and drain inside the unit is a job for a technician, and in our humidity it matters: a musty smell or a drip is a good reason to have one of us take a look. Mini-splits are covered under our VIP maintenance membership, which includes two scheduled tune-ups a year, priority scheduling, 10% off all repairs and no overtime fees. Learn about VIP.
Who you're dealing with
In the five years to September 2026, our crews completed more than 300 jobs that included a mini-split installation.
Air & Energy has served the area since 1983 and has been family-owned by the Moons since 1991. We're a Florida Certified Air Conditioning Contractor (license CAC1817161), everyone we send is an A&E employee, and our customers have given us 4.9 stars across 3,200+ Google reviews. We serve all of Manatee County, Lakewood Ranch including its Sarasota County villages, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key.
Common questions
Can a mini-split cool my garage?
Usually, yes. It works best when the garage is reasonably insulated and the door stays down while you want it cool. At the estimate we'll look at the insulation, how you use the space and how often the door is open.
Do I need an indoor unit in every room?
Not necessarily. Each indoor unit serves the area around it, so an open living and kitchen area can be one zone. Rooms behind walls and closed doors usually need their own, because a mini-split's air doesn't travel down hallways. A small ducted unit can sometimes serve a few neighboring rooms.
Do mini-splits help with humidity?
They remove moisture as they cool, like any air conditioner. They can't dry out a room that's open to outside air, and a unit that's too large for its room can leave it cold and clammy.
How much does a mini-split cost?
It depends on the equipment and on what it takes to run the lines, drain and power in your house. The estimate is free, and the installation is quoted in writing before any work starts.
What warranty comes with a Mitsubishi mini-split?
Because we're a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Contractor, Mitsubishi warrants the parts and compressor for 12 years, as long as its terms are met: a single-family home, registration within 90 days of installation, and the original owner living in the home. Ask us how registration works. Our one-year workmanship warranty covers the installation.
Do you repair mini-splits you didn't install?
Yes. We service all makes, for water leaks, units that won't cool, blinking error lights and musty smells. Call and describe what you're seeing, and the technician will explain the expected repair cost before starting.
Does VIP cover a mini-split?
Yes. Mini-splits are covered under our VIP maintenance membership.
Start with the room
Tell us which room is bothering you, or what your mini-split is doing, and we'll set up a free estimate or a repair visit.
Call (941) 778-0773 or request service online, and our office will text or call you, whichever you choose, to set a time.