Multi Split Heat Pumps for Hamilton Homes
One outdoor unit, several indoor heads, warm rooms all through the house. Good for older Hamilton villas and bigger family homes where a single high-wall won't reach.
A multi split runs several indoor heads off one outdoor unit, so you can heat bedrooms, the lounge and a hallway from a single compressor. Handy for Hamilton homes with limited outside wall space where you'd rather not bolt three separate units to the cladding.
When a multi split suits your home
If you've got two or more rooms that stay cold through a foggy Waikato morning, a multi split is worth a look. Think a three or four-bedroom place in Rototuna or Flagstaff, or a villa in Hamilton East where the lounge warms up fine but the bedrooms never do.
The big draw is one outdoor unit instead of three or four. On an older single-glazed villa with tight side access and awkward walls, that means less clutter on the cladding and fewer holes through the weatherboards. Each room still has its own head you control on its own remote.
It's not the answer for every house though. If you only need one room done, a single split is cheaper and simpler. Have a look at the different types of heat pump before you settle on anything, because the right setup depends on how many rooms and how you actually live in them.
Matching indoor units to each room
One of the good things about a multi split is you don't have to use the same style of head in every room. A high-wall works fine above a bedroom door, but in a room with no spare wall space a floor console heat pump sits low and pushes heat out at floor level, which suits a cold villa bedroom on a frosty morning.
For open-plan living with a decent ceiling, a ceiling cassette heat pump tucks into the ceiling and blows heat down evenly. If you're heating the whole house and want it all hidden away, a full ducted heat pump system is the other route worth pricing against a multi split.
We tend to fit Mitsubishi Electric heat pumps on multi split jobs because their outdoor units handle Hamilton frosts well and the head range gives us plenty of options per room.
Sizing the outdoor unit right
The catch with multi splits is the outdoor unit. It has to carry all the heads at once, and if it's undersized it'll struggle on the coldest mornings when every room is calling for heat. Larger Rototuna and Flagstaff homes with several bedrooms need a bigger compressor, not just more heads.
We work out the load room by room, factoring in single glazing, ceiling height and which way the house faces. You can get a rough starting point with our heat pump sizing calculator, then we'll confirm it on a site visit before we quote anything.
What it costs and how we fit it
A multi split costs more up front than a single unit, but usually less than fitting the same number of separate systems once you count the extra outdoor units and brackets. Running one compressor also keeps the outside of the house tidier. We break down the numbers on our heat pump installation cost page so you can see where the money goes.
On the day, we mount the outdoor unit, run refrigerant lines to each head and make good the wall penetrations. Older villas can add time if wall access is tight or the framing's awkward. Our heat pump installation Hamilton page covers how a typical fit goes.
If you're weighing up ducted against multi split, or still deciding on unit styles, those pages are the next place to look.
Not sure how many heads you need?
Give us a ring on 07 234 2345 and tell us your rooms. We'll tell you straight whether a multi split or something else makes more sense.
Multi split questions we get asked
How does a multi split heat pump system work?
One outdoor compressor connects to several indoor heads by refrigerant pipes. Each head heats or cools its own room and you control them separately. The outdoor unit only sends refrigerant to the rooms that are switched on, so you're not running the whole house to warm one bedroom.
How many indoor units can one outdoor unit run?
It depends on the outdoor unit, but most residential multi splits run between two and five indoor heads. The more heads you add, the bigger the compressor needs to be to keep up on a cold Waikato morning. We size the outdoor unit to your total load, not just the number of rooms.
Is a multi split cheaper than separate heat pumps?
For two or more rooms it usually works out cheaper than buying that many separate systems, because you're paying for one outdoor unit instead of several. For a single room, a standalone split is the cheaper option. We'll price both ways so you can compare.
Can you mix high-wall and floor console units on a multi split?
Yes. You can mix a high-wall in one room, a floor console in another and a ceiling cassette elsewhere, all off the one outdoor unit. That flexibility is handy in older Hamilton villas where wall space varies room to room. We match the head style to what each room can take.
Warm up the whole house
Serving Hamilton East, Rototuna, Flagstaff, Hillcrest and Chartwell. Send through your rooms and we'll size a multi split and get you a quote.