[jeff5may]

insaneintenti0n,

I for one am not trying to start any fights. I applaud you for posting your real-world experience with the system you have been operating for enough time to form opinions about. I believe conversations that discuss both sides of the subject are more useful, especially for homeowners that are on the fence about purchasing a mini-split system.

That being said, there is a difference between a productive argument and a brawl. Some people are more tolerant and tend to overlook minor flaws in a device, where others are more expectant of perfection. At retail prices, prospective owners have a right to high hopes of these units. Many cannot afford to make a bad gamble on the purchase. Better to have a heads-up on a quirk than to be surprised by it.

Nothing real in this world is perfect, and these devices are no exception. Compared to a natural gas furnace of equal efficiency and/or price, the two are neck and neck with each other. When the temperature drops outdoors, natural gas gains a larger advantage the lower the mercury goes. When the weather isn't so harsh, the heat pumps start to gain ground fast as it warms up from zero. Depending on your utility prices, there will be a balance point where one or the other costs less to run. As always, it's a good idea to have backup sources of heat.

I have no idea how you have the heat pumps set up in your home. I was just wondering why you didn't choose to match BTU's between indoor and outdoor units. The indoor units tend to cost close to the same price with the smaller capacities, and are much less costly than the outdoor unit. With the inverter outdoor design and the variable speed fans indoors, it would make sense to me to oversize a couple of indoor units in the most active zones (to help increase comfort) if I had spare capacity.