GENERAL AIRSTAGE CENTAURI R32 Ducted Heat Pump | 18000 BTU

GENERAL AIRSTAGE CENTAURI ARUH18KUAS, 18,000 BTU: the ducted Heat Pump that moves a bungalow from baseboards to warm air through the floor

This GENERAL AIRSTAGE CENTAURI 18,000 BTU system is made up of the ARUH18KUAS ducted indoor unit and the AOUH18KUAS1 outdoor unit, exactly the pair sold under the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE label. The manufacturer has not changed, it has changed its name: Fujitsu General Limited became GENERAL Inc. on January 1, 2026. The manufacturer’s spec sheet and the warranty are the same from one label to the other.

The bungalow we have in mind here has been heated by electric baseboards since it was built. Its owners want air conditioning in summer, more efficient heating in winter, and no unit hanging above the sofa. The answer is one floor down.

The ducted unit sits in the basement ceiling, and ducts rise to the ground floor through floor grilles. Warm air comes up from below, as in a forced-air house, but it is produced by a heat pump carrying the ENERGY STAR cold climate designation. And the combination is listed under LogisVert, at $1,728, on Hydro-Québec’s list of October 27, 2026.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

The change is first a matter of ownership. Paloma Rheem Holdings, which has owned Rheem since 1988, bought Fujitsu General Limited in August 2025, and the new name, GENERAL Inc., has applied since January 1, 2026. Kawasaki remains the head office and the research centre, and nothing has moved in the factories, the model numbers or the AIRSTAGE warranty program. The Fujitsu name is gradually fading from the boxes; during this transition, both labels refer to the same unit.

Showing both pages avoids a false comparison. Two quotes, one “Fujitsu”, the other “GENERAL”, can very well cover the same heat pump, and the table confirms it value by value. In Canada, sales have been handled by Rheem Canada since February 2026, we keep buying from Groupe Master, and AirGreen holds AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer status.

The Fujitsu version, with the same figures and the same manufacturer’s spec sheet, is still available: Fujitsu AIRSTAGE CENTAURI 18,000 BTU ducted unit.

In a bungalow, the whole project is organized from the basement. The ARUH18KUAS unit measures 39.38 in. wide, 27.56 in. deep and 11.81 in. high. It hangs below the joists, in a box-out or a soffit, or takes its place in a mechanical closet. The supply ducts run between the joists and pass through the ground-floor subfloor at each grille location. Return air goes through a central grille; since the unit accepts a side or bottom return intake, we adapt the connection to the basement as it really is, not as it looks on paper.

Floor grilles follow a very simple logic. In winter, warm air comes out near the floor, ideally under the windows, and counters the cold air falling off the glass, exactly where the baseboards used to work. In summer, cool air uses the same grilles; the fan, which moves up to 618 CFM, mixes the room air, and we aim the airflow upward at commissioning.

Leaving baseboards behind does not mean tearing them out. Most of the time we suggest leaving them in place, thermostats turned down, as a reserve for the deep cold. If you prefer an integrated setup, the CENTAURI system offers several backup heating logics and external inputs/outputs that can control a backup heater. The right choice depends on your house, and we make it with you during the visit.

Here are the heating benchmarks given by the manufacturer and the certification bodies:

• a heating range that goes down to −21 °C outdoors; the manufacturer adds “no low temperature cut out”, in other words the unit does not shut off when it gets colder, even though its capacity has not been measured in that kind of cold;
• for this 18,000 BTU model, a rated heating capacity up to 20% higher than nominal capacity, according to the manufacturer;
• 14,400 BTU of heating at −8 °C, with a COP of 2.91;
• 17,100 BTU at −15 °C according to NEEP, with a COP of 2.16, a value taken from another test point that does not compare directly with the previous one;
• SEER2 of 18.6, HSPF2 of 10.3 and EER2 of 11.7, AHRI certificate 215434557, and ENERGY STAR certification carrying the cold climate designation.

A word on COP, because it is the number that speaks to baseboard owners. A COP of 2.91 means that, under those test conditions, the heat pump delivers 2.91 units of heat for every unit of electricity it uses. An electric baseboard delivers just one. Your actual bill will depend on the house, the insulation and the winter, and we will not promise you a savings figure.

The LogisVert grant of $1,728 applies to this exact combination, ARUH18KUAS with AOUH18KUAS1, as it appears on Hydro-Québec’s list of October 27, 2026. Program rules change; we check your eligibility before you sign. In summer, dehumidification of 3.4 pints/h helps keep the ground floor dry through humid heat waves.

In this layout, the noise stays mostly in the basement. Inside, the unit sits between 24 dB(A), at “Quiet” speed, and 34 dB(A) at maximum, and on the ground floor what you hear first is the air at the grilles. Outside, the AOUH18KUAS1 unit is rated at 55.0 dB(A); we set it on a pad, away from bedroom windows and the neighbour’s patio.

The job, step by step:

• duct layout and ground-floor grille locations, set during the visit according to the floor structure;
• installation of the unit in the basement ceiling, with an access hatch for the filter and maintenance;
• 1/4 in. and 1/2 in. refrigerant line, cable and drain to the outdoor unit; the line can reach 98 ft (30 m) according to the manufacturer, without going under 16 ft (5 m) or exceeding 49 ft (15 m) of height difference; up to 66 ft (20 m), the precharge is enough;
• built-in condensate pump, useful when no floor drain is within reach;
• electrical connection at 208/230 V, minimum circuit ampacity of 12 A, maximum overcurrent protection of 20 A;
• commissioning by a refrigeration technician; automatic static pressure detection (range of 0.12 to 0.80 in. WC) then matches the airflow to your ducts.

The controller is not included; controls are sold separately. Those who insist on a classic wall thermostat can go through the 24 V thermostat interface. Others will opt, in the living room, for the UTY-RNRUZ5 wired touchscreen or the KAGAMI UTY-RVRU, or else for the UTY-TFSXJ4 Wi-Fi adapter with the AIRSTAGE Mobile app. The weekly timer lowers the temperature at night, and the minimum heat mode keeps the house tempered while you are away.

In the basement, maintenance is easy to reach: the filter is looked after as the manufacturer’s guide indicates, and the ProCore copper coils hold their own against corrosion. The built-in refrigerant leak sensor watches over the circuit, and the system restarts on its own after a power outage. The spec sheet provides a 12-year warranty on the compressor and parts, and 6 years on labour.

This system is made for the bungalow whose basement ceiling remains accessible, whether unfinished or dropped. A closed drywall ceiling can be worked with too, but it has to be opened and an access hatch planned. If the basement also needs heating, or if the house is larger, the load calculation may point to a higher capacity; we will tell you frankly.

Bungalow in Dollard-des-Ormeaux: your free quote for the CENTAURI ducted unit

In Dollard-des-Ormeaux as elsewhere, the basement decides, and our visit settles it: joists, grille locations, return air, outdoor unit. You then receive a free, detailed quote, prepared by an HVAC team that knows ducted systems inside out.

Reach AirGreen at 514 316-2973. We serve Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore and the South Shore.