This really is an excellent application for one of the ultra high efficiency mini split heat pumps. They are very quiet to near silent and have a SEER of 19+, work down to near 0degF. We have been very happy with the LG unit we installed in our master bedroom but others have reported similar good results from Fujitsu and Mitsubishi. I think Fedders is getting into this market but have not seen thier units. For the price, I was very impressed with the level of technology included in my LG. Variable speed blower, varialble speed compressor, varialble speed outside fan all microprocessor controlled. Full function remote control with temp readout and did I mention its quiter than our hunter ceiling fan?

How big is the heat pump? Are you building a energy use conscious cabin? It is possible that you heat pump is enough to cool and heat the new structure. Ok not likely but possible. The mancave should be built underground and then won't need much if any HVAC. No one can answer your question "What is the most efficient way to Heat/Cool (Types,Size and Brand)the new 2600 home built on a slab? " without a lot more information. The most efficient way would be geothermal - probably not worth the expense but is the most efficient. Your energy use has a lot more to do with the structure than the system.

tigerdunes - I have learned a lot from reading your postings on this forum and I appreciate your inputs. Your minimum specs list has already been very useful (though a lot of sales people really struggle to find answers about some of the items on that list), and IâÂÂm leaning now toward the XL15i instead of the $660 more expensive XL16i. I still havenâÂÂt completely ruled out Carrier and Rheem, but a neighbor has had a 4-ton Trane XL14i for over three years and I like the way it does not seem to have collected very many of the evergreen needles that are everywhere around here. I am curious though just why the XL16i has so much trouble with dehumidification, and whether that is important to our well-shaded house just outside of Seattle. We havenâÂÂt bothered to run our heat pump in cooling mode for at least the last decade, so I remain mostly concerned with heating performance and expect to use very little cooling. Also, is the XL16i any less reliable that the XL15i, or is it just (as I understand from other forum postings) that it is more complex to hook up and hence more prone to improper installation? I am also puzzled when I compare ARI heating performance of the XL15i and XL16i. At 47 degrees their ARI heat capacity and COP are identical, and at 17 degrees the 15i has only 1% more heat capacity. The 16i has the better 17 degree COP, 2.86 versus 2.82, but it falls down on HSPF to 8.50 versus 9.00 for the 15i. This seems to imply that the 16i spends more time in defrost mode, but I do not understand why. Returning of your spec list, I assume âÂÂstaged backup heat stripsâ refers to the capability to selectively turn on part instead of all of the backup heat? Our old heat pump has this feature, but I have yet to find a sales person who can tell be whether modern systems can do this. One issue is not really relevant until our new heat pump is being installed, but opinions about it are so amusingly diverse I cannot resist asking. Our power utility offers an extra rebate if we install a lockout control. What should it control? We have a lockout set at 32 degrees on our old heat pump and I understood it prevents the backup heat from coming unless the outdoor temperatures is below 32 degrees. The âÂÂenergy expertâ I talked to at our power company agreed, but said the lockout should also turn off the heat pump compressor at 32 degrees to âÂÂprevent a spike in our electric bill.â I recognize efficiency is down at that temperature, but unless there is a lot of icing up it still seems to make sense to run the compressor. Sale personnel were about evenly split whether the lockout should turn off the compressor. Is there any clear answer on this?

Mike, we paid about $3000.00 last year for propane, and that was to heat half of our home. We could close off half of it, and that's what we did. Propane cost varies widely, from almost two dollars a gallon to almost three dollars a gallon. electricity is about 9.2 cents a kwh. We have only had the bedroom and one other room cooled with a window air conditioner. We only had one real cooling month after the system was installed, and it cost $5.00 more than the month before when we were running the window a/c 24/7. Yes, we were on the downhill side of the cooling season, but we were also cooling the entire house. I really can't give you an accurate estimate of what the cooling costs will be. Our first heating month, we used about $52.00 additional electricity, and during the second month it was about $240.00 additional. I just went out and read the meter, and with 6 or 7 days until our next reading, we're on track to be the same or less than last month, so another $240.00 - $250.00 for the third heating month. We have our two coldest months ahead of us, but if I figure $350.00 each for them, then $250.00 for March, and even $250.00 for April, I'm at $1750.00 additional for electricity,(and I think that's overestimated) against $3000.00 for propane last year. And, keep in mind, that's heating the entire 3900 sq feet to a comfortable 70 degrees rather than about 2000 sq feet of it to a chilly 67-68 degrees. Well, I should clarify that it isn't all heated to 70 all the time, due to the zoning. We keep what used to be the cold half at 66 now unless we're using it, then we can quickly raise it to 70 as well. Anyway, based on my preliminary calculations, we will reduce our heating costs 40-50% keep our cooling costs about the same, and raise our comfort and enjoyment levels tenfold. Will the savings pay for the installation costs over and above a standard heat pump system? Probably, but it'll take a while. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't change a thing. Hopefully I can still say that a few years down the road.