Main costs:
- The equipment.
- Ductless heat pump manufacturers like Mitsubishi, Daikin, Lennox, Mr. Cool, etc. sell their equipment to “Dealers”, your local HVAC company. To cover overhead and expenses they mark the price up and install it for you.
- Line set.
- The copper tubes that run from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit. These tubes hold refrigerant and move the heat that either makes air conditioning or heating mode work. Usually these are 3/4″ and 3/8″ tubes. Lineset can cost upwards of $6 a foot, not including labor.
- Power
- Getting electricity to the outdoor unit can be one of the most expensive parts of installing a ductless heat pump. Placing your unit close to an electrical panel will save significantly on costs. Make sure your panel has open spaces for new circuits. Usually a ductless unit will run off a 30 amp breaker. Standard 10-3 Romex can cost $3 a foot, not including labor.
- Condensate
- A 1/2″ pvc pipe that runs from the indoor unit to a drain. The cheapest way to do this is to just go out the wall and drain outside. When placing ductless units on interior walls a condensate pump will need to pump that water to a drain somewhere inside the house. Condensate pumps start at around $50 but the most expensive part is the labor of running the PVC through an attic or crawl space.
- Pad
- The outdoor unit should be placed on a pad or wall bracket up at least 12″ off the ground. Some people like to mount them high up out of the way, but keep in mind this could add additional complexity and service charges when performing maintenance or servicing the equipment for repairs.
- Communication Wire
- Often ran directly with the line set, this wire helps the outdoor unit and the indoor unit communicate.