GENERAL AIRSTAGE Aquila R32 Dual Zone Heat Pump | 24,000 BTU | Montreal, Laval, South Shore, North Shore

GENERAL AIRSTAGE Aquila 2-Zone Heat Pump, 24,000 BTU: the living room and master bedroom of a 1970s bungalow on a single compressor, no ducts, by AirGreen

The 1970s bungalow in Chomedey or Sainte-Dorothée almost always has the same profile: electric baseboards in every room, not a single duct anywhere, a big living-room window facing the street that turns the room into a greenhouse by the end of June, and a master bedroom at the back of the house where nobody sleeps well in summer. Two rooms, two needs, and a house nobody wants to open up to run ducts that never existed.

The GENERAL AIRSTAGE Aquila 2-zone 24,000 BTU answers that with an outdoor unit AOUH24KWAS3 and two wall-mounted heads, in the configuration shown on this page, 7,000 + 7,000 BTU. It is exactly the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE Aquila 2-zone system sold under this model number: same manufacturer, called GENERAL Inc. since January 1, 2026, same AHRI certificate 215447687, same certified values, same warranty of 12 years on the compressor, 12 years on parts and 6 years on labour.

What we like about this format for a bungalow is that it covers the two rooms where you actually spend your time, the living room by day and the bedroom at night, each with its own setpoint, and that it leaves the door open: this compressor accepts up to three heads, so a third zone can be added later without changing the machine outside.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

If you shopped for a Fujitsu last year and come across a GENERAL today, you are looking at the same unit. Paloma Rheem Holdings, which has owned Rheem since 1988, bought Fujitsu General in August 2025, and Fujitsu General Limited took the name GENERAL Inc. on January 1, 2026. Nothing moved: the head office and the R&D centre are still in Kawasaki, Japan, the factories are the same, and the AIRSTAGE model numbers and the warranty program have not changed. GENERAL is a brand that has been in circulation since 1946, carried by a company founded in 1936 that celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2026. For the Canadian market, Rheem Canada has handled sales since February 2026; AirGreen continues to source its equipment from Groupe Master.

While the Fujitsu logo disappears from the boxes, the same model may be delivered to you under either brand. That is the reason this page and its Fujitsu twin both stay online: we want you to compare the figures yourself and see that they are identical, line by line, before you call us.

The Fujitsu version of this system is presented here: Fujitsu AIRSTAGE Aquila 2-zone 24,000 BTU, with the same AOUH24KWAS3 and the same list of heads.

For a bungalow heated with baseboards, the figure that matters is heating capacity in cold weather, not the nominal capacity printed on the box. The values certified by NEEP (ashp.neep.org) under AHRI certificate 215447687 read as follows: at −8 °C, 15,600 BTU/h at the certified rating with a COP of 3.34, and up to 22,600 BTU/h at peak; at −15 °C, still 19,200 BTU/h with a COP of 2.04. Guaranteed heating goes down to −15 °C. On the few nights when Laval drops lower, the existing baseboards top up, and you have nothing to do to make that happen.

COP is the ratio between the heat that comes out and the electricity that goes in. At 3.34, the system returns a little more than three times what it consumes, where a baseboard returns exactly what it consumes. The HSPF2 of 10.5 averages that efficiency over an entire heating season, defrost cycles and mild days included, which makes it the most honest index for comparing two units. In summer, the SEER2 of 23.0 and the EER2 of 13.0 describe the same seriousness for cooling the glassed-in living room. ENERGY STAR ranks this system among the most efficient of the year, with the Most Efficient designation, and grants it the cold-climate designation.

At night, only the bedroom calls. The Inverter compressor then drops to 6,800 BTU/h, its minimum capacity certified by NEEP, instead of stopping and restarting every few minutes. The result: a temperature that does not yo-yo and an outdoor unit, measured at 52.0 dB(A), idling under the window. We prefer to install it on the side of the house opposite the bedroom, so that even that idle cannot be heard.

The fluid circulating in the two refrigerant lines is R-32, with a global warming potential of 675, versus 2,088 for the R-410A that equipped the previous generation, according to ENERGY STAR.

The two heads in this page's configuration are 7,000 BTU each. In many bungalows, the living room with its big window deserves a stronger head than the bedroom, and that is precisely what we settle during the visit. This compressor accepts the following indoor units:

• ASUH07KPAS, 7,000 BTU: the master bedroom or an office;
• ASUH09KPAS, 9,000 BTU: a medium-sized living room;
• ASUH12KPAS, 12,000 BTU: the glassed-in living room that overheats in the afternoon;
• ASUH15KPAS, 15,000 BTU: a living room open to the dining room;
• ASUH18KPAS, 18,000 BTU: an open living-kitchen-dining area.

Two heads today, three at most: the second bedroom or the finished basement can be grafted later onto the same AOUH24KWAS3, provided the path for the third line is planned at installation, which we are glad to do.

The bungalow is the easiest house to equip with a multi-zone system, and we make the most of it. Both heads go on exterior walls, each with its refrigerant line, cable and drain going straight through the wall directly behind it, so the runs are short and almost invisible. The outdoor unit sits on a ground stand, raised above the snow, on the side of the house or at the back, never under the bedroom window. Drainage works by gravity to the outside, because a single floor level calls for no pump. The dedicated electrical supply comes from the panel, most often in the basement, and the baseboards stay in place as backup heat.

For maintenance, each head has its washable indoor filters, which come out with one hand and rinse under the tap; that is the operation that keeps airflow and efficiency at the certified level. The outdoor unit needs a look every season, especially in June in Laval when poplar fluff sticks to the coil, and a visit from a refrigeration technician at regular intervals for the R-32 charge and the drains.

This system is on Hydro-Québec's LogisVert list of October 27, 2026, for $1,872. We put together the application file with you; final eligibility is up to Hydro-Québec under its rules at the time of installation.

We recommend this 2-zone system to bungalow owners who want to cool and heat both living spaces without opening a single ceiling, to those who keep their baseboards but want to stop running them all winter, and to recent buyers who want to settle summer and winter in one go, while keeping the option of a third zone. The Wi-Fi module is available as an option for those who want to start cooling the living room before they get home.

Chomedey, Sainte-Dorothée and all of Laval: let's talk about your bungalow

Call 514 316-2973 or fill out our free quote form. We come to your home, look at the living room, the bedroom, the electrical panel and the exterior walls, then propose the right pair of heads for this compressor. AirGreen is an HVAC contractor holding an RBQ licence and an AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer, active in Laval, Montreal, Longueuil, on the North Shore and on the South Shore.

Bring your last winter electricity bill to the meeting: it is the best basis for discussing what this 24,000 BTU system will change in your home.