DIRECT AIR DA25 R-410A and DIRECT AIR HEAT XTREME PRO R-454B, 12,000 BTU

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Comparison · Wall-mounted heat pump · 12,000 BTU

DIRECT AIR DA25 (R-410A) and HEAT XTREME PRO R-454B: one brand, two refrigerants

Two 12,000 BTU/h DIRECT AIR wall units. The DA25 uses R-410A, the HEAT XTREME PRO uses R-454B. Their AHRI certificates are not quite alike: close efficiencies, but not the same heat in extreme cold. Here is what each certificate says, what DIRECT AIR publishes, and where each refrigerant stands in Canadian regulations.

Refrigerant: R-410A and R-454B HSPF2 Region V: 8.1 and 8.0 Max. capacity at −15 °C: 8,000 and 11,500 BTU/h Coldest certified point: −15 °C and −30 °C

DIRECT AIR

DA25 R-410A, 12,000 BTU

Ind. DIRM-12HP-WM · Outd. DIRM-12DA25-1Z
AHRI 207743720

DIRECT AIR DA25 brochure (2023): heating rated down to −25 °C; ENERGY STAR, without the cold-climate label according to NEEP.

See the product page

R-410ADA25 · class A1

R-454BHEAT XTREME PRO · A2L

Same brand, two refrigerant generations, two AHRI certificates.

DIRECT AIR

HEAT XTREME PRO R-454B, 12,000 BTU

Ind. DIRM4-12HP-WM · Outd. DIRM4-12HXPRO28-1Z
AHRI 216571373

Same AHRI and NEEP certified values as: SENVILLE AURA R454B, MIDEA MIDEA28 and BOSCH Climate 5000 MAX PERFORMANCE R-454B, in 12,000 BTU. Checked in NEEP on November 9, 2026.

See the product page

Estimated operating cost

What the electricity costs, in dollars, winter and summer

AirGreen estimate for the same 12,000 BTU/h zone in Montréal, at Hydro-Québec’s Rate D, taxes included. Both heat pumps are calculated in exactly the same way, with the same method as on all our comparison pages; only their certified efficiencies change. Electric baseboards serve as the reference point.

How this amount is calculated

Heat to deliver over the winter. A zone whose heat loss reaches 12,000 BTU/h ( kW) at −23.1 °C, Montréal’s design temperature: kW × 24 h × 4,167 degree-days ÷ (18 − (−23.1)) = kWh of heat for round-the-clock heating, all winter. Heating degree-days (base 18 °C) and design temperature: Natural Resources Canada, HOT2000 climate data, Montréal Intl station. With fewer hours per day (“Heating” slider), the heat is reduced in the same proportion, for the heat pump as for the baseboards: this simplification does not account for recovery after a temperature setback.
Electricity for heating. Heat pump: heat × 3.412 ÷ HSPF2 Region V, the AHRI certificate value published by NEEP. Region V is the coldest in the standard, and its calculation includes the electric backup expected when the heat pump is no longer enough. Electric baseboards: 1 kWh of electricity for 1 kWh of heat.
Electricity for cooling. 12,000 BTU/h ÷ SEER2 × hours per day × 60 days ÷ 1,000: the method of Hydro-Québec’s air-conditioning calculator, with the SEER2 seasonal efficiency from the AHRI certificate. The number of hours is a scenario you can set above, from 1 to 24 h. At 24 h, the calculation assumes rated capacity all day long: that is a ceiling, since a variable-speed unit slows down once the room is at temperature.
Price. Hydro-Québec Rate D in effect April 1, 2026: 7.065¢ per kWh up to 40 kWh a day, 11.142¢ beyond; the average price, 9.104¢, is the one Hydro-Québec’s calculators use. GST and QST included. Network access charges, the same with or without a heat pump, are not counted.

AirGreen method v1.1, November 9, 2026. An estimate is used to compare units under the same conditions. The actual bill depends on the house, the insulation, the settings and the use; this amount is not a promise.

The certified seasonal efficiencies are very close: HSPF2 Region V of 8.1 for the DA25 and 8.0 for the HEAT XTREME PRO, SEER2 of 24.6 and 25.4. So are the two estimates. Where the certificates really diverge is on maximum heat in cold weather, further down this page.

From R-22 to R-454B

Three refrigerants, forty years of Canadian rules

The DA25 and the HEAT XTREME PRO belong to two refrigerant generations. Before 2010, a new unit could still use R-22. Scroll through the dates: each one links to the official text or the body that published it.

Step2 of 8

GWP: 100-year global warming potential, IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), the basis used by the Canadian HFC regulations. ODP: ozone depletion potential (Montreal Protocol). Safety classes per the ASHRAE 34 standard. These figures describe the refrigerants, not the units’ consumption or efficiency.

Cold-climate criterion

What ENERGY STAR’s “cold climate” label measures

Both pairs are ENERGY STAR certified. According to NEEP, only the HEAT XTREME PRO R-454B also carries the cold-climate label. That criterion requires, among other things, at −15 °C (5 °F), at least 70% of the rated heating capacity at 8.3 °C, with a COP of at least 1.75. Here is where each certificate stands on those two measures.

AirGreen calculation from the AHRI certificates published by NEEP: maximum capacity at 5 °F ÷ rated capacity at 47 °F. ENERGY STAR does its own verification; the directory does not publish the details of its decision for each pair.

Extreme cold

Below −15 °C: every published value, none invented

The DA25’s certificate stops at −15 °C: NEEP publishes no colder point for it, and DIRECT AIR rates a heating range down to −25 °C with no capacity figure. The HEAT XTREME PRO R-454B’s certificate publishes a point at −30 °C. Between two published values, the table shows the range between them.

One brochure figure, one certificate figure. The 2023 DA25 brochure states 9,500 BTU/h of rated heating at −15 °C, under the former test standards (HSPF of 13.2 and 11). The current AHRI certificate, issued under the 2023 standard, gives 8,000 BTU/h rated and maximum at −15 °C. The certificate prevails in any direct comparison.

Features

What DIRECT AIR publishes for each

DIRECT AIR publishes a brochure for the DA25 (March 2023). The HEAT XTREME PRO brochure we found (July 2022) describes the earlier R-410A version, with DIRM- model numbers; no DIRECT AIR document was found for the R-454B version (DIRM4-) sold here. So we attribute no feature to it: the column says so, line by line.

Rated heating range

DA25−25 to 24 °C.

HEAT XTREME PRONot published by DIRECT AIR for the R-454B version; coldest certified point: −30 °C.

DA25 brochure, specifications table; AHRI certificate 216571373

Operating modes

DA25Turbo, Eco, sleep; 12 fan speeds.