If you're looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to heat and cool an indoor space, the EG4 Solar Mini Split might just be exactly what you need.
This 24,000 BTU (2-ton) unit has been running in our roughly 700-square-foot garage for the past two months, giving us plenty of time to put it through its paces. With our garage having really high ceilings, minimal insulation, and it being cold as **** outside, we definitely haven’t taken it easy on this unit.
So, how well does the EG4 Solar Mini Split hold up, is it a practical heating and cooling solution, and is it actually worth the money? To find out, let’s break down the installation process, how it performed, and what we think about its overall value.
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Traditional HVAC systems often come with two major downsides:
Mini split systems are becoming increasingly popular because they eliminate much of the hassle while remaining affordable and efficient.
Like EG4 has done in the past with other tech, they’ve taken an existing concept further by creating a solar-compatible version, meaning you can power this mini split directly from your solar panels and potentially reduce your electricity bill in a meaningful way.
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Before we dive into our performance testing, let’s go over a quick rundown of what the EG4 Solar Mini Split offers:
On paper, these features make it sound like an attractive option for anyone looking to heat or cool their home, garage, or off-grid cabin while keeping energy costs low, but does it actually hold up? Let’s start out with an overview of the installation process, then dive into some real-world testing.
Aside from solar compatibility, one of the biggest selling points of this particular mini split is how easy it is to install, especially when compared to traditional HVAC systems.
In total, the installation process took us about two hours, and that was with practically zero experience. If you’re even a little bit handy, or just have the patience to closely follow an instruction manual, you should have no problem setting this up. Here's how we got ours up and running in the garage.
Overall, this installation process was straightforward and didn’t require any special tools beyond a drill and wrench set. The fact it comes with pre-charged lines also means you don’t have to have anyone come in and help you, so it’s pretty much just plug-and-play once you have your holes drilled and the units mounted.
At first, we assumed this was going to be an all-day job that would be filled with frustration points, but the entire process went really smoothly. As mentioned earlier, you’re probably going to want an extra pair of hands when you’re getting the outdoor unit set up, but that’s mostly just for safety. You could technically do it alone, but why risk throwing out your back?
While the installation process went far better than we expected, that's only half of the battle. Let’s look into how this thing has performed over the past two months, starting with how well it heats the garage.
Since we installed this unit in early December, we’ve been able to test it out during some of the coldest winter months. As mentioned, it’s also out in our garage, which has poor insulation, so it’s a space that gets really cold when we don’t have a heater running. Here’s what we found after using the EG4 Mini Split:
We’ve only really had this thing up and running during the winter, and we live in a really cold climate, so there haven’t been many opportunities to test out the cooling side of things. With that said, we did run it a few times just to make sure that it works.
Like the heating mode, the cooling function seems pretty impressive, allowing you to cool down a large indoor space on pure solar power. For those living off-grid in warm climates, like Texas and Arizona, having this thing paired with a decent solar array could be a game-changer.
Since this unit is designed to be inside your home or business, getting an accurate understanding of the noise it generates is really important. Fortunately, the indoor unit is reasonably quiet. Sure, you can hear the fans running in both the heating and cooling modes, but what else would you expect? It’s not overly disturbing and almost just sounds like what you hear coming from your household vents while your furnace or AC unit is running.
The outdoor unit is a bit of a different story. It’s pretty loud, producing a noticeable droning sound, especially when it’s starting up. It actually reminds us of the thumping sound you get when you’re driving your car at high speeds and have one of the back windows down.
We’re not sure if that’s just because of the way we had it mounted, the lack of insulation in the garage, because we went with the largest unit EG4 offers, or even if it’s just because we were pushing the unit really hard with how cold it has been outside. Either way, we could even hear it from the kitchen, which is about the furthest corner of the house from where we have it mounted.
The noise is definitely not a deal-breaker, and it could be partially our fault, but it’s something you should keep in mind, especially if you are planning to set this thing up outside of a small cabin or some sort of trailer.
Now that we’ve discussed how this thing works and how easy it is to install, let’s take a look at a few of the things we liked and disliked about it, starting with the positives.
The ability to run it directly from your solar panel array is a game-changer. If the sun is out, you can really reduce your energy costs. If you’re pairing it with a battery bank, you can also run it on solar power on cloudy days, throughout the night, or switch between battery and grid power when utility rates are low.
Given that heating systems are usually one of the main utility drains people see on their electricity bills, EG4 may have just come up with one of the most effective ways to slash your energy costs. Plus, you can keep it running off-grid, meaning it works during blackouts and emergencies, which could be a huge selling point for those living in areas with unreliable or non-existent grid power.
Compared to traditional HVAC systems, this DIY-friendly setup can really help you cut down on installation costs and headaches. We’ve already covered how easy it was to get it up and running, but it’s worth stressing how much easier it was than we expected.
Even in less-than-ideal conditions, like how we have it installed in a poorly insulated garage, the unit can deliver impressive results. Remote workshops, garages, and sheds could all benefit from this type of technology.
It also works well for heating individual rooms, which we think would be great for emergency prep, as you could reduce the drain on your battery bank by having to heat or cool your entire home with your main heater or air conditioner. Basically, you could just heat a single sealed room with pure solar power until your grid power was restored.
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Since it avoids high power surges, it’s much more generator and battery-friendly than a typical heater or air conditioner. You don’t need some massive inverter with a huge surge rating to run it, which is often the case with larger climate control systems.
We really like that you can adjust the temperature settings from anywhere. For us, we can get the garage warmed up before we do any work out there, so it almost functions like a remote start for a vehicle. If you have an off-grid cabin you only visit on weekends, you could do the same as you are on the way there, making the whole experience far more comfortable and convenient.
While the indoor unit only makes slight fan noises, the outdoor compressor generates a noticeable hum. Ours was located at the far end of the house on the outside of the garage, but we could still detect this bothersome droning sound from inside the house.
We’re not sure if this is due to the racking that we have the outdoor unit sitting on, the lack of soundproofing and insulation we have out in the garage, or if it’s genuinely a loud unit, but it could be annoying for some users, especially if they have it installed near their main living space. We’d like to test out some of the smaller units EG4 offers to see if they produce the same noise levels, but the big boy can definitely be a bit loud.
At this point, it’s worth stressing that it has been extremely cold outside during our two-month testing period. The unit definitely produces a reasonable amount of heat, but it has struggled on some of the really cold days, especially when we have come in on a Monday after having it switched off all weekend.
Again, the insulation is really poor in the garage (it’s pretty much nonexistent), but this might not be the best option for those living in areas where temperatures regularly drop below -5°F (-15°C) for extended periods and you plan on using this mini split as your primary source of heat. It could definitely be used to help heat certain rooms, but it’s probably not something you’d want to rely on for survival in an extreme environment.
This unit is not compatible with standard 120V AC outlets without additional wiring, meaning you’ll have to upgrade your setup if you’re hoping to run it on grid power and don’t have a 240V output available.
While it can run directly on solar, or any sort of battery bank you have available, it lacks internal power storage, so you need to rely on your solar panels, external batteries, or the grid. This is a minor gripe, but we’re sure some people with more remote setups would have preferred the option to have some sort of power storage capacity within the unit itself.
After two months of real-world testing in very harsh conditions, we can confidently say that we believe the EG4 Solar Mini Split can be a fantastic investment. This is particularly true for those looking for an affordable, energy-efficient way to heat and cool an indoor space.
The ability to run it fully off-grid using solar power makes it even more appealing for those looking to cut down on their electric bills. Since you don’t have to worry about grid power, or even traditional HVAC ducts, it can be a really practical solution for a wide range of different properties.
We have full intentions of continuing to use it out in the garage. The remote start is convenient, we can run it for free, and it does a solid job of keeping the garage warm, even when it’s ice-cold outside. Even if you’re in an area with mild summers and winters, but you want a simple, effective climate control system, this unit is well worth considering. Overall, it’s a great buy!
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