GENERAL AIRSTAGE CENTAURI R32 Central Heat Pump | 1 Ton - 12000 BTU

GENERAL AIRSTAGE CENTAURI AMUH12KUAS: 12,000 BTU Central Heat Pump that takes the place of the old electric furnace

The GENERAL AIRSTAGE system made up of the AMUH12KUAS air handler and the AOUH12KUAS1 outdoor unit goes by a second name in our catalogue: Fujitsu AIRSTAGE. It is the same unit, with the same model numbers, the same manufacturer spec sheet, the same warranty and the same factories. What changed is the company’s name: Fujitsu General Limited became GENERAL Inc. on January 1, 2026.

This one-ton size answers a common situation: a bungalow or a condo that already has a duct system, with an electric furnace that has done its time in the basement or a mechanical closet. It still heats, only with its elements, and it does not cool. In summer, people fall back on window air conditioners.

Our approach comes down to a few steps. If the ducts are in good shape, we keep them. We remove the furnace, install a compact multi-position air handler in its place, set the outdoor unit, and the house switches to a central heat pump that heats and cools through the same registers. The electric backup heat stays, but it now lives inside the air handler, which controls it on its own.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

The name change follows an acquisition: Paloma Rheem Holdings, the group behind Rheem since 1988, bought Fujitsu General in August 2025, and the company has been called GENERAL Inc. since January 1, 2026. Head office and R&D centre still in Kawasaki, Japan, same factories: the AIRSTAGE range keeps its model numbers and its warranty program. On the distribution side, nothing changes for you: Rheem Canada has managed Canadian sales since February 2026, and our orders still go through Groupe Master. The Fujitsu brand is being phased out gradually; until the transition is over, the same unit carries one name or the other.

So we publish both product pages, and the table below lines up their values: not one row differs.

The Fujitsu version of this system is here: Fujitsu AIRSTAGE CENTAURI 12,000 BTU central heat pump.

The system has two units, and a refrigerant line links them. Outside, the compact AOUH12KUAS1, with an Inverter compressor that adjusts its speed to demand and low global-warming-potential R-32. Inside, the AMUH12KUAS air handler pushes air through the duct system to the registers, then draws it back through the return air. Its cabinet measures 17.5 × 21 × 43 in. (width, depth, height); in many basements it fits in the space the furnace leaves behind and connects to the existing plenum or to a rebuilt one, which we confirm during the visit. It mounts upflow, downflow (UTD-DFMSB1 kit required) or horizontal, left or right: in a condo ceiling, a horizontal installation often gives the cleanest connection.

Let’s be straight about heating. The outdoor unit heats down to −21 °C according to the manufacturer’s operating range, and the brochure states that it does not shut off at low temperatures. The spec sheet gives 10,600 BTU with a COP of 1.36 at the −8 °C test point, and 16,100 BTU with a COP of 2.06 at the −15 °C test point. These figures do not come from the same test conditions: read them as they are. At the 8.3 °C rating point, heating capacity is 16,000 BTU, over a range of 3,400 to 17,800 BTU. For the series, the manufacturer claims up to 33% higher rated heating capacity than nominal capacity.

One ton is still a small system. On the coldest January nights, a house can call for more than the outdoor unit delivers. That is where this system differs from a heat pump added next to a furnace: the air handler offers several backup heat logics and controls the manufacturer’s compatible electric kit itself. The kit is sold separately and needs its own power supply; during the visit, we check what your electrical panel allows. The built-in input/output terminals also accept a fire alarm, a door switch, a humidifier or an HRV/ERV.

On efficiency, the system posts a SEER2 of 19.9, an HSPF2 of 10.3 and an EER2 of 13.0, under AHRI certificate 217290592, and it is ENERGY STAR certified in the cold climate category (ID 4428945). In cooling, the nominal 12,000 BTU sits within a range of 3,100 to 13,600 BTU: on mild days, the compressor slows down instead of starting and stopping over and over. Dehumidification reaches 1.29 pints per hour, a real asset in a damp basement in July.

Now, noise. The air handler goes down to 30 dB(A) at its lowest and up to 42 dB(A) at its highest; when the mechanical closet opens onto the bedroom hallway, those numbers matter. The outdoor unit is rated at 49.0 dB(A). In a condo, its location (balcony, terrace or roof) is settled with the condo board before the order.

Maximum airflow is 500 CFM, and the air handler accepts an external static pressure of 0.08 to 0.80 in. WC. A duct system designed for an electric furnace does not always have generous ducts: this range leaves some room, but we measure before we promise.

AirGreen’s installation follows this order:

• visit: check of the ducts, supply and return air, and choice of location for both units;
• removal of the furnace and installation of the air handler, leaving an access panel in front of the filter and the service panels;
• outdoor unit on a pad or bracket, then refrigerant line (1/4 and 3/8 in. piping), cable and drain;
• 208/230 V connection (MCA 15 A, MOP 15 A);
• commissioning by a refrigeration technician.

The refrigerant line can reach 98 ft (30 m), with a minimum of 16 ft (5 m) and a maximum height difference of 49 ft (15 m); the unit comes precharged for 66 ft (20 m). In a bungalow, setting the outdoor unit near the air handler’s wall keeps the line short.

No control is included by default. In a condo, a KAGAMI UTY-RVRU or UTY-RNRUZ5 wired controller on the hallway wall does the job; others prefer Wi-Fi through the AIRSTAGE Mobile app. The IR receiver kit with remote, the UTY-TTRXZ1 interface for a third-party 24 V thermostat, and BACnet and Modbus round out the options.

Maintenance stays simple: the filter is checked and changed through the access panel, and a 16 × 20 in. filter base is available as an option. The built-in leak detection system watches over the refrigerant circuit, and compatible controllers give access to service monitoring.

The Hydro-Québec LogisVert grant for this system is $1,272 according to the October 27, 2026 list. The manufacturer warrants the compressor and parts for 12 years, labour for 6 years. For detailed performance data and dimensioned drawings, open the manufacturer’s spec sheet attached to the product, in French and English, in the GENERAL version we prepared.

This system is meant for the small bungalow or condo that already has ducts, whose owner wants to turn the page on the electric furnace without redoing the air distribution. It is not suited to a large house or a poorly insulated building: if the load goes beyond one ton, we will offer you a larger capacity from the same series rather than a unit that falls short.

Côte-Saint-Paul and all of Montreal: your free quote

In Côte-Saint-Paul, we come to look at your furnace, your ducts and where the outdoor unit can go, then we give you a free, detailed quote, with units, controls and backup heat included. Elsewhere in Montreal, and in Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore or the South Shore, the process is identical; AirGreen is an HVAC contractor recognized as an AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer.

Call us at 514 316-2973: we start with a visit, and you decide after.