Heat pump outdoor unit aspect – GreenBuildingAdvisor

I live in northern North Dakota. We recently built a new SIP house with a Mitsubishi MXZ heat pump. We placed the outdoor unit on the North side of the house due to proximity to the utility room and for presentability as the south face is the main entrance. In my mind at installation, it was an air conditioner that would provide some heat in the shoulder season.

I have been surprised at how much heat we actually get from the unit, though. It provides almost all the heat in the house down to almost -10F. The result of this, however, is a great deal of ice building up underneath the unit from the defrost. For the most part the unit itself is able to remain clear, except for buildup where the heat exchanger curves around the left side of the unit. However, if I am not diligent about clearing icicles from the drain pan holes ( the unit is on a stand that holds it 18″ off the ground), it would back up and fill the drain pan in short order. While this isn’t a huge deal, it is a failure point. To add to the issue, it is near the boiler exhaust, which can add a fair bit of humidity to the area that the heat pump is in, particularly on cold nights with an inversion. 

My question is would it make enough difference to move the unit to the south side of the house to offset the cost, effort, and potential decrease in cooling efficiency. I expect it would get more airflow in that location, though, which would limit the loss in cooling. The cost to relocate it would be in the $1,200-1,800 range.