GENERAL AIRSTAGE ALTAIR 300 Mini Split | 18,000 BTU | Montreal, Laval, South Shore, North Shore

GENERAL AIRSTAGE ALTAIR 300 18,000 BTU: the ENERGY STAR cold-climate Fujitsu Mini Split Heat Pump that opens the door to LogisVert, under its new name

The GENERAL AIRSTAGE ALTAIR 300 18,000 BTU is, part for part, the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE ALTAIR 300: the same indoor unit ASUH18KNAS, the same outdoor unit AOUH18KNAS1, the same AHRI certificate 217617837, the same NEEP-certified values and the same warranty of 12 years on the compressor, 12 years on parts and 6 years on labour. The manufacturer is the same too; it changed its name. Since January 1, 2026, Fujitsu General Limited has been called GENERAL Inc., and the Fujitsu logo is gradually leaving the equipment.

What makes this model interesting is its place in the range. It is the entry-level mini split among AIRSTAGE wall-mounted units at 18,000 BTU, and yet it carries the ENERGY STAR cold-climate certification and appears on the list of equipment eligible for Hydro-Québec's LogisVert program, at $1,488 according to the list of October 27, 2026. In other words, it is the shortest route to Hydro-Québec's grant for the living room or open area of a South Shore home, in Longueuil as in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, without paying for a deep-cold reserve that your existing heating already covers. Below, we translate what guaranteed heating down to −15 °C, an HSPF2 of 9.0 and a SEER2 of 20.0 are worth in a home around here.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

The story fits in two dates. In August 2025, Paloma Rheem Holdings, owner of Rheem since 1988, bought Fujitsu General; on January 1, 2026, Fujitsu General Limited became GENERAL Inc. Nothing moved on the production side: same head office and same research centre in Kawasaki, Japan, same factories, same AIRSTAGE products, same model numbers, same warranty program. For that matter, the company, founded in 1936, marks the 90th anniversary of its founding in 2026; the GENERAL name has been with it as a trademark since 1946. In Canada, Rheem Canada has handled sales since February 2026, our distributor remains Groupe Master, and AirGreen keeps its status as an AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer.

The Fujitsu brand is leaving the equipment gradually, not overnight. For the length of the transition, the same machine reaches us sometimes with the Fujitsu logo, sometimes with the GENERAL logo, and we present both pages so that you can find the model under the name you were looking for. The two columns of the table are identical, line after line; that is the whole point of the comparison.

The page under the Fujitsu name remains available here: Fujitsu AIRSTAGE ALTAIR 300 18,000 BTU. Same machine, same installation, same warranty.

What −15 °C means on the South Shore. The coldest point of this model's certification is −15 °C, and it is also the temperature down to which its heating is guaranteed. According to NEEP, pushed to its maximum at −15 °C, it delivers 14,500 BTU/h, or 81% of its nominal 18,000 BTU size, with a COP of 2.02: a little over two units of heat for every unit of electricity, where a baseboard returns one. At −8 °C, at its certified operating point, it supplies 12,400 BTU/h with a COP of 2.75, the best efficiency on its sheet. In a Longueuil or Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu home, a good part of the heating season plays out between these two temperatures and above: that is where this mini split does the bulk of the work and your baseboards rest. On nights colder than −15 °C, your existing heating takes over, and that is precisely what places this model at the entry of the range rather than at the top.

Seasonal efficiency reads in the HSPF2 of 9.0: the higher the value, the larger the share of heat drawn from outdoor air relative to the electricity purchased, and the lower the winter bill. In air conditioning, the SEER2 of 20.0 and the EER2 of 11 do the job in summer, when the Richelieu valley's humidity sticks to the skin: the room stays cool and dry without driving up the bill. It is these efficiency values, together with the capacity retained at −15 °C, that earn the model its ENERGY STAR cold-climate designation and, from there, its place on the LogisVert list.

In mild weather, the unit has reserve: up to 22,500 BTU/h at 8 °C, 25% more than its nominal size, enough to bring the living room temperature back up quickly when you get home from work. And once the room is at the setpoint, it slows down instead of stopping: its certified minimum capacity drops to 2,250 BTU/h at −15 °C and 3,600 BTU/h at 8 °C. This modulation avoids the on-off cycling that wears a compressor and makes the temperature swing.

On noise, the indoor unit sits between 28 and 48 dB(A) depending on fan speed, and the outdoor unit at 53 dB(A). In a living room, at medium speed, it blends into the sounds of the house; outside, we avoid placing the unit under a bedroom window or near the neighbour's patio. The vertical louvers are motorized and sweep the room automatically; the horizontal direction is set by hand according to the layout of the living room. Wi-Fi is offered as an option: if you want to program and monitor the unit remotely, we add it to the quote.

Installing an 18,000 BTU mini split, step by step. An 18,000 BTU is a good-sized wall unit; its placement is decided with care, because the air stream has to cover the whole room without falling on the sofa. Here is how our refrigeration technicians proceed:

• The visit and sizing: floor area, ceiling height, windows, orientation and insulation; we confirm that 18,000 BTU is the right capacity, no more, no less.
• The wall unit: on a wall that lets the air sweep the room along its length, away from heat sources, with clearance to take out the filters.
• The outdoor unit and the refrigerant line: a single hole in the wall, an insulated copper line in a line cover, and an outdoor unit raised above the snow on a stand, with the clearance needed for airflow and servicing.
• Drainage: condensate leaves by gravity to the outside; if the route requires it, a condensate pump takes over, and you know it before installation day.
• The electrical connection: a dedicated circuit meeting the manufacturer's requirements, run by a licensed electrician; we check the panel at the visit.
• Testing and start-up: nitrogen leak test, vacuum, start-up, supply-air temperature check and a walk through the settings and the filters.

Maintenance and indoor filters. The indoor unit's filters come out without tools, rinse under water and go back once dry; it is the single habit that matters most for keeping the efficiency on the sheet, especially in a living room where dust and pet hair circulate. In winter, clear the snow around the outdoor unit after a snowfall so that air can pass and defrost water can drain. An annual service by a refrigeration technician completes the picture: R-32 refrigerant charge, coils, pan and drain, electrical connections.

LogisVert, in practice. The model is ENERGY STAR certified for cold climates (ID 4497367) and appears on Hydro-Québec's LogisVert list at $1,488 according to the list of October 27, 2026. That list is updated by Hydro-Québec; we validate the amount at quote time rather than promising you a stale figure. The application is made to Hydro-Québec with the installation invoice, which names both units and AHRI certificate 217617837; we prepare it so that it is complete the first time. The warranty, for its part, covers the compressor and parts for 12 years and labour for 6 years, with an extension possible on request.

Who it is for. The living room or open area of a suburban home in Longueuil or Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu heated by baseboards or a furnace, where you want efficient air conditioning in summer and real help in winter without touching the main system. The owner of a plex who wants a reliable, subsidized mini split in the ground-floor unit. If what you are after is turning your baseboards off for good in January, we will point you to a model certified below −15 °C; we have them, and we will tell you frankly which one fits.

Free quote on the South Shore, from Longueuil to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

One call to 514 316-2973 or one request online, and we come to see the room before handing you a written free quote, LogisVert amount verified. We install the GENERAL AIRSTAGE ALTAIR 300 18,000 BTU in Longueuil and across the South Shore, as well as in Montreal, Laval and on the North Shore.

AirGreen is an RBQ-licensed HVAC contractor and an AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer: the machine, the warranty and the service are the same, whether the box carries the GENERAL name or the Fujitsu name. Choose the name that suits you; the machine is the same, and so are we.