The HVAC guy gave me a few options:1) Bare Bones $5000 - It will keep the place cool for roughly 8 years2) "Old Reliable" $7,500 - It cools, and is known for 15+ year life and a 10 year warranty3) Bells & Whistles $10,000 - High efficiency (we won't pay the electricity on this place), Variable speed comfort (it basically can adjust how much air it blows so that your house is at a constant temperature), can be connected with the "smart home" system so I can change the temperature or lock/unlock the door from my smartphone, have security cameras, connect the smoke detector etc.

It seems to be linked to the higher sea temperatures so I fear it can only get worse.

my temperature gauge says yes, def cooling in east tennessee

June Is Bustin' out All Over: June typically sees high temperatures rise from 95°F to 100°F by mid-month, with the record high being 117°F.

Berkeley will increasingly be sought after as temperatures rise and inland metros become uninhabitable. 

Does anyone in this part of the country where the humidity and temperature is high, have these mini splits?

I don't have a problem with that because it was similar to a furnace, set the temperature. 

Your lease probably does not address a minimum temperature she should keep the house, but going forward you should.

Since the temperature in my area only drops below -5°F twice a year on average, the heat pump effectively covers 99.5% of the heating needs.There is a plethora of combinations that you can achieve using just mini splits.

Insulating pipes is rarely going to prevent frozen pipes when temperatures get very low; a source if heat is the only real solution when temperatures get low like when the “polar vortex” occurs.