I have been doing hours of research but can never find the right answer to make myself feel confident in my approach. I am looking for a way to heat my garage. it is approx a 30'x30'x10' building. Walls are insulated R23 and ceiling to R30.
really like the idea of a mini split since it provides both AC and heat. However living in New York our winters here can get pretty cold, this year especially. I would love to drop 3 or 4g on a Mitsubishi Hyperheat and probably never have to worry however, my budget doesn't allow that. I was looking at Cooper & Hunter (normal non hyper heat) units which seem much more friendly to those on a tighter budget and good to 5 degrees. Where I live we can regularly get in the low teens sometimes colder.
I am fine not going out into the shop and working those super cold days but I want the majority of my winter days having access to my shop
Does anyone have experience with these models in cold climates? How do they perform in the cold both heat and efficiency (I know it drops)
Does anyone recommend any budget friend units?

I did a BTU calculator and saw i would need 18KBTU unit however the 24K BTU unit with the deal going on is nearly identical in price. Is it worthwhile to go a bit bigger?

I know their are other options to heat but I want to thoroughly explore this idea as heat and ac would be nice as well as not having to worry about exhaust.

 

i think you are a bit low on the BTU. and i doubt it will work as you think because the door is a big heat loss area.
it would be a lot cheaper to just put in a forced air furnace.

 

From their websites the 24k BTU unit is actually oversized and the 18k Unit fits my needs better. However I do agree with you that there may be some heat loss through the garage door. I plan on insulating this door the best I can which should help. Talking on another forum, they recommended the "Hyperheat" models as their heating is not nearly as effected as "normal" mini splits as the temps drop. they still heat 75% of full capacity even with negative temps.

In terms of cost, the mini splits are not too bad on cost roughly 1 to 1.5g. Maybe a forced air furnace is cheaper but propane is not cheap and I also have solar panels on my house so electricity is free. Plus the added benefit of being able to cool my workspace too is a huge benefit and what really attracts me to the mini splits.

 

i have 12k mini split in a 16X16 room upper floor in the house. no other heat up there.
summer, on ac it struggles to keep it 80 degrees.
at 15 degrees best i can get on heat is 65 degrees.
it is actually a 30k btu unit. 12 k upstairs and 18k downstairs.(two units is two seperate rooms)
this house is 110 years old, and there is not much insulation.
the 18k btu ac downstairs will keep it 72-75 degrees in summer,
and this setup was $6000 6 years ago.

 

Okay I see. I am sure the tech has come a long way even in 6 years though. Also my building is decently insulated so a little apples to oranges. But i appreciate the input and will keep that in mind.
I have read on other forums of people with slightly bigger spaces with half my insulation getting away with the 18k units. You are building doubt in my head!

 

well, i guess it all depends on how warm, or cool you want inside.
i have a semi insulated 24X26 shop here at the homestead and use a 150 BTU salamander kerosene heater in winter.
20 minutes to go from 20 to 75 inside. then it is off for at least 30-45 minutes. comes back on 55 degrees, and runs for around 5 minutes before shutting off.
i have thermometer for it set 55 on 75 off.
i have a 95K BTU forced air furnace out there, but forgot to run the natural gas line to feed it when pouring the floor.
and since the salamander works as good as it does, i never bothered hooking the furnace up.