5-Zone Heat Pump ARCOAIRE D5CMHA | 55,000 BTU - R454B
The Arcoaire D5CMHA 55 000 multi-zone heat pump heats and cools 5 rooms with a single outdoor unit. ENERGY STAR cold-climate certified, it delivers 47,000 BTU/h at −8 °C, heats down to −30 °C and qualifies for a $5,640 LogisVert grant. Installed by AirGreen in Montréal, Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore and the South Shore.
5 rooms, one outdoor unit.
Figures come from the manufacturer’s data and the AHRI certification.
The parts that make a multi-zone system.
Tap a part to learn more.
Outdoor unit
One compressor for the whole house. It supplies up to 5 heads.
Base pan heater
A heater keeps the outdoor unit’s base pan free of ice below 1 °C and during defrost (NEEP).
Refrigerant lines
One pair of lines per head.
Indoor heads
One head per room, each with its own remote and temperature. The combination is chosen in the “Zones” menu.
Control
Each zone is set separately.
Turn rooms on and off. Watch the power being shared.
One outdoor unit supplies every head: when several rooms call at once, they share its capacity. Pick an outdoor temperature.
Tell us your rooms. We tell you if this size is enough.
Pick the number of rooms and their size. The estimate targets a −15 °C day; it is a guide, the real calculation is done room by room at your home.
The whole series at a glance: find the box that fits you.
Each box is a product: the outdoor unit’s size, and the number of heads.
At −15 °C, it still delivers 85 % of its rated capacity.
Tap a temperature: capacity, efficiency and the cost of one hour of heating.
At every temperature, cheaper than baseboards.
Cost of one hour at full output, for the same heat delivered. Hydro-Québec Rate D, second tier: 11.142 ¢/kWh.
The official ratings, on the same scales as before.
SEER2, HSPF2 and EER2 come from the AHRI certification.
A grant you can calculate, not guess.
The capacity at −8 °C. $120 per 1,000 BTU/h is the rate for ENERGY STAR cold-climate heat pumps (guide v1.10).
One multi-zone or several wall units? Both sides, honestly.
We compare both options on your floor plan during the estimate.
What to know before installing a multi-zone system.
Dimensions, wiring and lines, drawn. Then our six steps.
The outdoor unit, dimensioned
Published sound levels, on one scale.
We use the outdoor figure to choose where the unit goes.
What is particular about this machine.
Only facts published by ENERGY STAR, NEEP or the manufacturer.
Every number, and where it comes from.
Each line carries its source; a line with no published value is not shown.
The manufacturer’s documentation, as PDF.
Everything we have written about this system.
Five zones for a large home, planned with your renovation
When a large home goes through a major renovation, it is the best time to rethink its heating and cooling room by room. The 5-Zone Heat Pump ARCOAIRE D5CMHA | 55,000 BTU - R454B serves five rooms from a single condenser, each with its own set point. That 4.5-ton D5CMHAH55FAK condenser serves 5 zones (up to 5 at most) and is built with the D5FSHAH09XAK, D5FSHAH12XAK, D5FSHAH18XAK, D5FSHAH24XAK and D5FSHAH30XAK wall-mounted heat pump heads. Its inverter compressor distributes its capacity among the heads that are calling.
Its ratings are 22.3 SEER2, 12.0 EER2 and 10.5 HSPF2. The system is ENERGY STAR certified with the cold-climate designation under ENERGY STAR ID 3556883. The certificate still lists its capacity at -30 °C, and the system qualifies for a $5,640 LogisVert grant.
Distributing five heads in a large home
Each head's code indicates its size, from the D5FSHAH09XAK, the most compact, to the D5FSHAH30XAK, the largest. In a large two-storey home in Laval, on the North Shore or the South Shore, a common distribution puts a large-format head in the open ground-floor area, an intermediate head in the primary suite and the finished basement, and compact heads in the secondary bedrooms or the office. It is not a matter of taking one of each size: the total of the five heads must stay within the combinations the manufacturer allows for this condenser, and each head is chosen according to its room's load calculation.
Using a renovation to hide the lines
With five heads, there are five refrigerant line sets, five communication cables and five drains to route. With the walls closed, they run along the facade under a finishing cover. With the walls open, they can often pass inside partitions, floors or soffits, and disappear completely. That is the main advantage of planning the system with your renovation: we install the lines and drains at the open-framing stage, before the drywall, then come back to install the heads and the condenser once the painting is done. This coordination is planned with your contractor from the start of the job; the earlier it happens, the more discreet the result.
Even without a renovation, installation remains possible: the lines from several heads are then grouped under a single cover so that only one or two runs show on the facade.
Five zones on 4.5 tons, every port in use
The five heads share the condenser's capacity, which meters the refrigerant sent to each one according to its demand. The sharing works because the rooms almost never all call at full demand at the same time; the sizing must nonetheless hold up on the January morning when the whole house wakes up. With five zones, the D5CMHAH55FAK uses all its ports: no sixth head can be added. Utility rooms, bathrooms and entrances normally keep their usual heating.
The certificate in cold weather
The certificate lists 47,000 BTU/h at -8 °C and 47,000 BTU/h at -15 °C. The two points are measured separately; we report each one as published.
- COP of 2.60 at the -8 °C point (17 °F)
- COP of 2.00 at the -15 °C point (5 °F)
- Maximum capacity at -30 °C: 26,400 BTU/h, COP of 1.39
- Heating certified down to -30 °C
The published capacity does not change between the two most frequent cold points, and stays below the nominal 55,000 BTU size, as is normal in deep cold. A renovation that improves insulation and windows reduces the load to be covered accordingly. Near -30 °C, the published capacity drops and backup heat remains useful. These figures come from certificate AHRI 215357158, published by NEEP.
What the ratings mean
The 10.5 HSPF2 measures heating efficiency over a full season; it is the rating that counts most in a home in the Montreal area. The 22.3 SEER2 measures cooling efficiency over the warm season, and the 12.0 EER2 the efficiency on heat-wave days. COP gives the efficiency at a specific temperature: 2.00 at -15 °C means two units of heat for each unit of electricity, where an electric baseboard delivers only one.
Summer and the shared mode
In summer, the compressor speeds up when several zones call for cooling, then slows down and holds the set points at low speed; these long cycles remove moisture from the air, and each head's dehumidification mode takes over on muggy days. The five heads work in the same mode at any given time, heating or cooling, each at its own temperature. The new-generation R-454B refrigerant has a global warming potential markedly lower than the fluids it replaces; mildly flammable, it is handled according to precise rules.
Fresh air: what a wall-mounted heat pump does not do
A wall head heats, cools, filters and dehumidifies the room's air, but it does not bring in fresh air: it recirculates the indoor air. After a renovation that makes the house tighter, with new windows and better insulation, the supply of fresh air becomes all the more important. That is the role of an air exchanger, a unit separate from the heat pump. If your project includes one, or should include one, let's discuss it during the visit so both systems are designed together.
The $5,640 LogisVert grant
The system is listed in Hydro-Québec's LogisVert program, with $5,640 for the owner of an existing home, according to the list in effect on the installation date. We confirm eligibility before signing and prepare the detailed invoice, model numbers and proof of payment. Our page on the efficient heat pump grant summarizes the program's conditions.
Installation and maintenance
Installation
- In-home assessment: load calculation for the five rooms, check of the electrical panel and, where applicable, coordination with the renovation schedule.
- Refrigerant lines, communication cables and drains installed inside the open walls or grouped under a finishing cover outside; condensate pump when gravity is not enough.
- Condenser on a solid stand or a bracket designed for its weight, above the snow line and out of the path of snow falling from the roof.
- Connection to a properly sized dedicated circuit.
- Leak test, vacuum, commissioning of the five zones and programming the remotes with you.
Maintenance
Five filters to rinse every two weeks in season; doing it on the same day for the whole house turns it into a habit. During and just after renovation work, construction dust clogs the filters faster: check them more often in the first weeks. Keep the condenser clear of snow and leaves, without covering it in winter. An annual HVAC maintenance visit cleans the coils and blower wheels, checks the drains and tightens 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 5-Zone Heat Pump ARCOAIRE D5CMHA | 55,000 BTU - R454B. We assess the five rooms, coordinate the installation with your renovation and confirm your grant eligibility before signing.
Warranty: 10 years on the compressor, 10 years on parts and 6 years on labor.
What people ask us about multi-zone systems.
Can I heat one room and cool another at the same time?
No. On a multi-zone system like this one, every head works in the same mode, heating or cooling. Each room still keeps its own set temperature.
What happens when every room calls for heat?
They share the outdoor unit’s capacity: 47,000 BTU/h at −8 °C, 47,000 at −15 °C and 26,400 at −30 °C.
How many heads can I connect?
Up to 5 on this outdoor unit. This product is configured for 5 heads.
How much is the LogisVert grant?
$5,640. The grant never exceeds 100 % of the cost before taxes; apply within 9 months of installation.
Is it ENERGY STAR certified?
Yes, cold climate, ID 3556883.
Down to what temperature does it heat?
Down to −30 °C. At −30 °C, it still delivers 26,400 BTU/h with a COP of 1.39.
Is it noisy?
Outdoors, 65 dB(A): we place the unit away from bedroom windows.
Why a multi-zone instead of several wall units?
One outdoor unit on the wall and one circuit. In return, the rooms share the capacity, and if the outdoor unit stops, every zone stops.
What does the warranty cover?
Our sheet lists 10 years on the compressor and 10 years on parts. AirGreen extended warranty: possible.
A multi-zone system is planned room by room. At your home.
We measure every room, draw the line route and choose the right head for each zone. The on-site estimate is free and the quote arrives within 24 h.