Multi Split Heat Pumps for Dunedin Homes
One outdoor unit running two or more indoor heads, so you can warm several rooms without covering the house in condenser boxes. Handy on tight hill sections where there's only one good wall.
A multi split heat pump runs two or more indoor units off a single outdoor unit. You warm several rooms, the lounge, a bedroom, the hallway, with one condenser on the wall. It suits older Dunedin villas where wall space is tight and you'd rather not bolt three separate units outside.
Why multi splits work well in older Dunedin villas
A lot of Dunedin homes are multi-room villas and bungalows with high ceilings and cold, damp rooms. They hold onto the chill through a frosty winter, and a single heater in the lounge never quite reaches the back bedrooms. A multi split lets you put warmth where you actually need it, room by room.
The other issue is the outdoor unit. On a tight hill section in Roslyn or Mornington there's often just one sensible wall to mount to, and no one wants three condensers cluttering a narrow side yard. A multi split solves that by running everything off one outdoor unit. If you're weighing up your options, it's worth reading how the different types of heat pump compare before you commit.
Matching indoor units to each room
The good part about a multi split is you're not stuck with the same unit in every room. You can mix and match indoor heads to suit the space. A high wall unit in the lounge, something tidier down a hallway, whatever fits the layout of an older home with awkward walls.
For rooms where a wall unit won't sit right, ceiling cassette heat pumps tuck into the ceiling and blow evenly across the room. In a villa with a cold floor and a bay window, floor console heat pumps sit low and push warmth up from the ground where you feel it. If you want the units out of sight altogether, a ducted heat pump system is the other route, though it's a bigger job.
- High wall units for lounges and open-plan rooms
- Floor consoles for cold, high-ceilinged bedrooms
- Ceiling cassettes where wall space is short
Getting the sizing and the install right
The most common mistake with a multi split is undersizing the outdoor unit for the rooms it has to feed. Dunedin winters bring hard frosts and biting southerlies off the Southern Ocean, so the system needs enough grunt to keep up when it's really cold, not just on a mild day. Our heat pump sizing calculator gives you a rough starting point before we visit.
We fit Mitsubishi Electric heat pumps among others, and we'll be straight with you about what the numbers look like. Have a look at what drives the heat pump installation cost, since a multi split usually costs more upfront than a single unit but less than several separate installs. When you're ready, we handle the whole heat pump installation in Dunedin ourselves, from the outdoor mount to running the pipework through the walls.
Not sure how many rooms to heat?
Give us a call on 03 234 2345 or send through the rooms you're thinking about. We'll come out, measure up and tell you honestly whether a multi split or single units make more sense for your place.
Multi split heat pump questions
What is a multi split heat pump system?
It's one outdoor unit connected to two or more indoor units. Each indoor unit heats or cools its own room, but they all share the single outdoor condenser. That's the difference from separate systems, where every indoor unit has its own box outside.
How many indoor units can one outdoor unit run?
It depends on the model, but most residential multi splits run between two and five indoor units off one outdoor unit. The outdoor unit has to be sized for the total load, so more heads means a bigger condenser. We'll work out the right match for the rooms you want warm.
Is a multi split cheaper than separate heat pumps?
Upfront it usually lands between the two. One multi split costs more than a single wall unit but less than buying and installing several standalone heat pumps. You also save on outdoor wall space. If you only want one or two rooms done, separate units can still work out simpler, so it's worth comparing both.
Can I heat different rooms to different temperatures?
Yes, each indoor unit has its own controller, so you set the temperature and turn each room on or off separately. Keep in mind the outdoor unit is shared, so all the running heads work in the same mode, heating or cooling, at the same time. You can't heat one room while cooling another on the same system.
Warm the whole home from one outdoor unit
From Maori Hill down to Andersons Bay, we install multi split systems in older Dunedin homes every week. Send us your rooms and we'll sort a quote.