My heat pump is fried I think.
Second time it's burnt wiring.

It's old so I don't want to sink more money into it and don't have the funds to replace it right now.
We are going to be doing a remodel next year anyway and will see about replacing it then.

I have a couple of questions for now.

I'm going to get a few window units for the rest of the summer no I'm not worried about that.

I am worried about heating and keeping our pipes from bursting.
We have a fireplace but it won't heat every room.

What is a decent SAFE way to heat 2 bedrooms and our living area ?
Living area is open with the kitchen and dinning so kind of 1 big room.

2nd question I may be jumping the gun a bit but very curious.

We have a 3 bedroom 2 bath. 1 bedroom is basically storage now our daughter is moved out.
The remodel I want to do would be expand the master bath and also add an addition that would be a huge master walk in closet and would be built on to the end of the house off the master bedroom.  

My question is , they make small split units ac/heater like the Mitsubishi that start around $700 and go up.
Would it be cheaper to buy and install these in each bedroom and one large one for the living area ? Complete Central Hvac starts at around 8-10 k.

Would running these units be cheaper then the big central unit ?

I know there are variables but we keep our air temp at around 80 - 83 degrees.
We get used to the Texas summers pretty quick.
Personally, I could go without heat except for the fireplace and be comfortable but the wife doesn't share my fondness for cooler temps.  

I appreciate any advice .

If it's just burnt wiring, that's simple to replace.

What was the cause of the burnt wiring?

What wiring was burnt, where?

This would be the third time the wiring burned.
Its been $500 plus each time the service tech visits me.

Its old was not in good shape when we bought the place.

I don't want to keep throwing good money after bad.

I've already picked out 3 window units.

Still would appreciate opinions on the small split units verses the Central HVAC for electric saving.

Seen some small  electric  fireplaces, does anyone have any experience with them ?

That does not answer critical questions to help you save $$$.

And possibly keep your old unit in long service and not have to make short term investments.

You won't find a Mitsubishi split unit for anywhere near 700 bucks.

A small, basic Mitsubishi indoor air handler and outside condenser will probably run at least five times that amount - Plus the extra materials required for installation, plus the actual labor cost of installing it.

Some of the Chinese kits start at around 700 bucks - But you also have to add some installation cost, unless you do it yourself.

Depends on what mini split systems you choose, what number of rooms you have, who installs it, etc.

If you have a pro install half a dozen Mitsubishi split units, it could easily end up costing you a LOT more than a central HVAC system.

OTOH, if you install a few cheap Chinese units yourself, it could be quite a bit cheaper.

I should have worded that a bit differently.
I was meaning split like the Mitsubishi.
Although I have looked at them and they are not to bad on price depending on size.

I would only be looking at 3 to start with probably 5 max.

So cost would be spread out over time.
My main question would running 3-5 of those cost less,more or about the same as a central air unit?

On installation, IDK, I've been reading on these for a while a a lot of people say they are easy to install.
I do know after reading some that you have to buy some kind of kit for the installation. The units don't come with everything needed.

Rooms are relatively small with the main living area having an open floor plan.

For what you are going to lay out for a temporary  fix, a $500 repair seems pretty cheap.

Less than $500 for the 3 window units I ordered tax included.

These I can sell when we do the remodel.
May not get a lot but some.
The last repairman that came out almost didn't replace the wiring because of the inits condition.
It's over  20 yrs old.

Other then scrap for the copper the unit is shot.
Not everything is repairable or worth repairing.

Guess that depends on the individual.