Mini-split what? It may be a mouthful, but these types of heat pumps have been used in Europe and Asia for years and are just now becoming more common in the U.S. They require no ducting and some models can even be integrated into a piece of artwork. Learn more after the jump!The only downside? Many of the available models aren’t very pretty and tend to be an unwanted focal point in a room (as seen in the photo above).