Ceiling Cassette CONFORTO MHCAS | 9,000 BTU - R410A
SEER2 (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)
HSPF2 (Seasonal Heating Efficiency)
EER2 (Instantaneous cooling efficiency)
COP at -8 °C (Heating energy efficiency)
COP at -15 °C (Heating energy efficiency)
COP at -30 °C (MAX)
Comfort for a small room, with nothing hung on the walls
Some rooms no longer have a single free wall: a bedroom taken up by the wardrobe and the headboard, a home office lined with shelving, a small consulting room where every partition already holds something. The Ceiling Cassette CONFORTO MHCAS | 9,000 BTU - R410A solves this from above. The MHCAS09DACFC cassette is recessed into the ceiling, only its grille stays visible, and it is paired with the MHSZ109DACFC outdoor unit, which has a variable-speed compressor.
This is the smallest size in the series, and that is exactly its point. A closed, well-insulated room does not need more, and a correctly sized heat pump heats, cools and dries the air better than an oversized unit. Its certified ratings are 20.5 SEER2, 13.0 EER2 and 10.3 HSPF2. The system is ENERGY STAR certified with the cold-climate designation under ENERGY STAR ID 2495073, and its certificate still lists heating capacity at -30 °C.
The rooms this size is designed for
The 9,000 BTU size suits a closed room of ordinary size: a primary bedroom, a guest room, an office, a small basement family room, a consulting room or a small neighbourhood shop where the walls are better kept for display. In a recent, well-insulated 4 ½ apartment, it can also temper a bedroom and the hallway that serves it. In an older house, with original windows or a poorly insulated attic, the same capacity covers a smaller area.
That is why we never pick a size by eye. The load calculation done during the visit takes into account the room's orientation, the glass area, the insulation of the walls and ceiling, the floor level and how the room is used. If the room needs more, we say so before the quote rather than after the first winter.
Why the small size works for you
An oversized heat pump reaches the set point in a few minutes, shuts off, starts again, and spends its life in short cycles. Every restart wastes energy, the temperature swings, and in summer the air stays clammy because the coil does not have time to remove the moisture. A correctly sized cassette does the opposite: it runs for long periods at low speed.
The variable-speed compressor adjusts its speed to the room's actual demand instead of running all-or-nothing. When the room reaches the right temperature, it slows down and holds the balance. In a bedroom, this slow, steady operation gives stable comfort all night, without a burst of air each time the unit restarts.
Air that comes down from the ceiling, spread on four sides
A wall-mounted heat pump blows from one side of the room, and the air has to cross the space to reach the opposite wall. The cassette sits toward the centre of the ceiling and spreads the air in four directions through the louvres around its grille. The air fans out toward the walls, then comes back down, which shortens the distance to the corners and evens out the temperature.
We choose the exact location so that the airflow does not fall directly on the bed, the reading chair or the workstation. In heating, warm air tends to stay near the ceiling: the central position of the cassette and a good louvre setting help that air come back down to the floor. In cooling, the cool air, being heavier, comes down on its own and spreads easily.
What the ceiling needs to offer
A cassette is installed between the joists or above a suspended ceiling, in a space deep enough to hold the unit and accessible for maintenance. During the visit, we check what the ceiling hides: joist direction, ventilation ducts, plumbing, wiring, recessed lights. We also trace the route of the refrigerant lines and the drain to the outside wall.
A suspended tile ceiling, common in basements and offices, makes the work much simpler. In a drywall ceiling, we cut a clean opening to the cassette's size, and the grille covers it. Under a concrete slab with no suspended ceiling, a cassette is not an option: we then propose another type of unit.
How the system works
A heat pump does not make its heat with a resistance element: it moves heat. In winter, the refrigerant captures the heat contained in the outdoor air, even cold air, the compressor concentrates it, and the cassette releases it into the room. In summer, the cycle reverses and the room's heat is rejected outdoors. The refrigerant lines connect the two units and carry nothing but refrigerant.
This system uses R-410A, the refrigerant found in a large share of the heat pumps installed in recent years. Technicians know it well and servicing it is routine. New equipment is gradually moving to next-generation refrigerants; an R-410A system that is properly installed, properly charged and serviced every year remains a reliable choice.
Quebec winters, according to the certificate
The certificate lists 9,000 BTU/h at -8 °C (17 °F), with a COP of 1.91. At this temperature, common in the heart of winter, the cassette still delivers 100 % of its nominal capacity. The certificate also lists 10,000 BTU/h at -15 °C (5 °F), with a COP of 1.80.
Seeing a higher value at the colder point can be surprising. The two points are measured separately, under distinct test conditions; we report each one as published, without joining them into a curve.
Lower still, the certificate publishes 4,400 BTU/h at -30 °C, with a COP of 1.02, or 49 % of the nominal capacity. On the coldest nights of the year, the cassette keeps heating, but at reduced capacity. We recommend keeping the existing electric baseboards as backup: they stay idle most of the winter and take over only when the cold requires it.
Summer: cooler and drier air
In cooling, the cassette cools the room and at the same time removes moisture from the air, which condenses on the coil and flows out through the drain. In a bedroom under the roof or a west-facing office, it is often the heavy, humid air that keeps you from sleeping or working, more than the temperature itself. A correctly sized unit that runs for long periods at low speed dries the air better than an oversized one.
The 13.0 EER2 rating measures precisely the efficiency during the hot hours, when the unit works at full load. With windows closed and blinds down in the afternoon, the room keeps the coolness built up in the morning and the cassette only has to maintain it.
The certified ratings, in plain words
- SEER2 of 20.5: seasonal cooling efficiency. The higher the number, the less electricity the unit uses for the same cooling over a whole summer.
- EER2 of 13.0: cooling efficiency in hot weather, at full load.
- HSPF2 of 10.3: seasonal heating efficiency. This rating is calculated for a reference climate milder than ours; it is useful for comparing models with each other, but it does not predict a Quebec bill.
- COP: the amount of heat delivered for each unit of electricity used. An electric baseboard has, by definition, a COP of 1. A COP of 1.91 at -8 °C means almost twice as much heat for the same electricity.
For a Quebec winter, the COP values at the -8 °C and -15 °C points say more than the HSPF2. The actual bill then depends on insulation, the chosen settings and how harsh the winter is.
LogisVert
This pairing does not carry an amount on Hydro-Québec's LogisVert list of October 19, 2026. If the grant matters for your project, we will point you to an eligible pairing of comparable size and present both options side by side in the quote. Our page on the efficient heat pump grant summarizes the program's conditions.
Installation, step by step
- Visit and load calculation. We measure the room, note the windows and insulation, and confirm that the 9,000 BTU size is the right one.
- Cassette location. We locate the joists and obstacles in the ceiling, then fasten the cassette securely to the structure, level, keeping access to the filter and drain.
- Outdoor unit. It goes on a wall bracket or a ground stand, above the snow line, clear of roof runoff and away from bedroom windows, including the neighbours'.
- Lines and drain. The refrigerant lines and the control cable go through a single sealed opening, and a line cover can finish the outdoor run. The condensate drain follows a continuous slope or, depending on the route, a small pump.
- Electrical. The system needs a dedicated circuit: we check the panel capacity during the visit and make the connection to code.
- Commissioning. Leak test, evacuation of the lines, checking operation in heating and cooling, then an explanation of the settings and filter cleaning before we leave.
Maintenance
The filter sits behind the cassette's grille: open the grille, remove the filter and rinse it every two weeks in season. Keep the outdoor unit clear of snow and leaves, and plan annual HVAC maintenance of the coils, the condensate pan and drain, and the electrical connections. In winter, white vapour during defrost and a short pause in heating are normal. Our cleaning service takes over when you prefer to hand off the annual visit.
AirGreen, for the life of the installation
A family business active for more than fifteen years in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore and the South Shore, we hold RBQ licences for ventilation, refrigeration and electrical work and carry $5,000,000 in liability insurance. The in-home assessment is free, the quote is in writing, and our financing options let you choose the right unit rather than the cheapest one.
Request your free estimate for the Ceiling Cassette CONFORTO MHCAS | 9,000 BTU - R410A. We assess the room, check what the ceiling hides and confirm the right size before signing.