A bedroom over the garage bakes in July while the basement stays cold. A window unit fixes one room and takes the window with it. Running the whole house harder to fix one room costs money and still misses the far corner.

Three indoor units of 9,000, 12,000 and 24,000 BTU each get their own controller and their own temperature. Run the 24,000 BTU unit hard in the problem room and leave the other two off. Only the zones you switch on draw from the 36,000 BTU outdoor unit.

Everything that comes on the pallet

Laid out here is the whole kit: the 36,000 BTU outdoor unit, three white indoor units rated 9,000, 12,000 and 24,000 BTU, a remote for each one, the insulated copper line sets and the tape, putty and wiring that join them up. Each indoor unit answers to its own remote, so the 24,000 BTU unit can run hard while the other two idle.

Bedroom zones and the screen off setting

Three things make a bedroom zone liveable: a sleep curve that drifts the set point overnight, a display that switches off completely, and a timer that can stop the zone at a set hour. The 9,000 BTU unit is rated 30 dB indoors.

Reading the yellow label

The EnergyGuide panel in this photo is the honest summary: 23 SEER2 on cooling, 10 HSPF2 on heating, with R32 refrigerant in the system. The graph beside it shows why an inverter holds temperature better than a fixed-speed compressor that only knows on and off. It carries ENERGY STAR, ETL and AHRI certification.

What the buttons on the remote do

Dry mode pulls humidity without overcooling, fan mode moves air with the compressor off, and sleep mode drifts the set point overnight. There are 6 modes (auto, cool, heat, dry, fan, sleep) in total and 5 fan speeds, plus a 24 hour timer and auto swing. With 24,000 BTU on the largest zone, the higher fan speeds get used more than you might think.

One 36,000 BTU outdoor unit runs all three indoor units. Each zone starts, stops and holds its own temperature, so an empty room costs nothing.

A common rule of thumb is 20 to 25 BTU per square foot (Carrier publishes 25). Here, a 9,000 BTU unit suits roughly 360 to 450 sq ft, a 12,000 BTU unit suits roughly 480 to 600 sq ft and a 24,000 BTU unit suits roughly 960 to 1,200 sq ft. Natural Resources Canada points to CSA F280-12 for a proper load calculation.

The compressor varies its speed instead of cycling on and off. Published ratings are 23 SEER2 for cooling and 10 HSPF2 for heating.

A chassis electrical heater keeps the outdoor base pan clear. The manufacturer rates heating down to -25°C (-13°F) and cooling up to 52°C (125°F).

Each zone gets a 16 ft insulated copper line set and 13 ft of communication wire, plus a 6.5 ft drain hose. That is the material most quotes list separately.

The outdoor unit runs on 208-230V~60Hz, single phase. It wants its own branch circuit, sized from the MCA and maximum breaker figures on the unit's own nameplate, with a disconnect within reach.

Wifi app plus a remote with a digital display for each zone, and a 24 hour timer.

The indoor filters pull out, rinse under a tap and go back in. Clean filters are the cheapest way to keep airflow and running cost where they should be.

Ships from our United States warehouse. Delivery to Canada usually takes 8 to 14 business days, with no customs charges or duties to pay on arrival. Free shipping on orders over $150, a flat $18.90 below that, and tracking by email as soon as it leaves.

Return within 14 days of purchase, unused, in original condition and packaging.

Covered directly by the manufacturer under their warranty terms for material and manufacturing defects.

Found it cheaper at a Canadian retailer? Send us the link and we will match that price. It has to be the same item, in stock, sold and shipped inside Canada, and compared like for like on what comes in the box.

The 24,000 BTU unit is sized for an open living and dining space, roughly 960 to 1,200 sq ft. The other two zones cover normal bedrooms without oversizing them.

Older houses, additions, attic conversions and finished basements rarely have ducts where they are needed. Three zones from one outdoor unit avoids opening up ceilings.

This is a heat pump, not a cooling-only air conditioner. It carries an HSPF2 heating rating of 10 and a chassis heater for winter operation.

What we stand behind

• Ships from our United States warehouse, free shipping over $150, and 14 day returns unused in the original packaging.
• 14 day returns on unused items in original condition and packaging
• Covered by the manufacturer's own warranty for material and manufacturing defects
• Line sets, communication wire and a controller for every zone are in the box

How much space will each indoor unit cover?

Sizing runs off the heat load of the room, not just its floor area, and Natural Resources Canada points to CSA F280-12 for the real calculation. As a rough check, 20 to 25 BTU per square foot is the usual rule of thumb. Here, a 9,000 BTU unit suits roughly 360 to 450 sq ft, a 12,000 BTU unit suits roughly 480 to 600 sq ft and a 24,000 BTU unit suits roughly 960 to 1,200 sq ft. Poor insulation, big west-facing windows or a 9 ft ceiling all push that figure up.

The three indoor units add up to 45,000 BTU but the outdoor unit is 36,000 BTU. Is that a mistake?

No. On any multi-zone system the indoor ratings are not meant to be added together, and sizing guides for multi-zone equipment say so plainly. The 36,000 BTU figure is what the outdoor unit can deliver at one time, and it is shared among whichever zones are calling for it. Three rooms rarely peak at the same moment, which is why this combination is offered.

How cold can it get outside before it stops heating?

The manufacturer rates low ambient heating down to -25°C (-13°F), helped by an electric heater in the outdoor chassis. Natural Resources Canada notes that air source heat pumps lose capacity and efficiency as it gets colder, with typical COPs falling from 2.0 to 5.4 at 8°C to 1.1 to 3.7 at -8°C, and that most units have a minimum operating temperature between -15°C and -25°C. Keep a backup heat source for the coldest stretches.

Can I install this myself in Canada?

Plan on a licensed installer. In Ontario, for example, the province states that by law only a certified technician may remove, discharge, handle and dispose of refrigerants, including HFCs, and that mechanical work on refrigeration equipment needs a Certificate of Qualification on top of the refrigerant certificate. Other provinces have their own halocarbon rules. The federal Code of Practice says the same thing in plainer terms: the technician doing work that could release refrigerant must hold the proper environmental certification. The 208-230V~60Hz, single phase power supply also means an electrician and a dedicated circuit.