I can't recommend the Sanyo 24khs72, because of the idiosyncrasies that I have seen
in both of the outdoor units that I've had experiences with..
But, you should not be deterred from looking at
inverter type mini-split systems.
These Inverter ASHPs are the best thing since light beer.
I think all the guys here are going to tell you, Insulate, insulate, insulate..
And of course you should have a LOT of south facing windows.
If I was designing a house, ALL the windows would be south facing!
Anyways, I can advise you to have the AC pad(s) poured with the foundation.
(Save you time and a little money later on).
If the unit (heat pump maybe) is going to be used mostly for heating,
being exposed to some sun is a good thing. But, if it's mostly for cooling,
locate the pad in a shady area.
Unless it's a big house, (needing many BTUs) it's not necessary for the pad
to be close to the main breaker box. These ASHPs don't use a lot of power,
so line loss isn't a big problem.
You also want to keep the length of the line-set(s) in mind. Shorter is better.
20 to 30 feet seems like a goal to shoot for.
Now that we have all this snow piling up..
And I'm thinking my Sanyo is going to be residing in a Snow cave before long,
If you are in an area that gets deep snow, you might want to consider an extra tall pad.
Maybe two feet off the ground.?. Cinder block construction?
Speaking of Snow, I'm learning that this Sanyo works best when it's not left
running during heavy snow.
So, it should always be used with a back-up heating system. Just in case.
I just left our Sanyo off for 12 hours of continuous snow. It snowed from
just after midnight until midday today. Right after it stopped, we cleaned it up
and turned the Sanyo back on.. It's keeping the house at 72F, using 480 watts.. (as I type this)
I recommend reading the install manuals for a few models of mini-split.
They will give you a real good idea of the requirements.