GENERAL AIRSTAGE Centauri Heat Pump | Ceiling Suspended System | 36000 BTU

GENERAL AIRSTAGE Centauri ABUH36KUAS 36,000 BTU: the ceiling-suspended Heat Pump for showrooms and retail stores

For a retail store or a showroom, here is the 36,000 BTU GENERAL AIRSTAGE Centauri: the ABUH36KUAS indoor unit paired with the AOUH36KUAS1 outdoor unit. They are the very units sold as the twin Fujitsu AIRSTAGE system, with the same certifications and the same warranty. The manufacturer, Fujitsu General Limited, was renamed GENERAL Inc. as of January 1, 2026; apart from the label, nothing has changed.

On a commercial artery in Anjou, sales space is won square foot by square foot. The floor is for displays, the walls for merchandise and signage, the storefront window for drawing in passers-by. That leaves the ceiling. The Centauri unit hangs there, visible, and pushes 1,089 CFM into the room from above, the highest airflow of the four ceiling-suspended Centauri units.

What sets this system apart for a business is its integration with the building. BACnet or Modbus gateways to a building management system, group control for several units, interlock with the entrance door or the fire alarm: the heat pump fits into how the store is run instead of working in its own corner.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

Fujitsu General Limited passed in August 2025 into the hands of Paloma Rheem Holdings, parent company of Rheem since 1988. On January 1, 2026, the manufacturer adopted the name GENERAL Inc., a brand it has used since 1946. Kawasaki, Japan, is still home to the head office and the research centre; factories, AIRSTAGE products, model numbers and warranty program remain as they were.

For a manager who receives two quotes, one labelled Fujitsu and the other GENERAL, there is therefore nothing to decide between on the machine side. We display both product pages so that the comparison focuses on what really matters, installation and service. In Canada, sales have gone through Rheem Canada since February 2026, Groupe Master remains our distributor, and AirGreen installs the line with its AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer status.

The same values, row for row, appear on the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE Centauri 36,000 BTU page.

Let’s start with management. A business that already has a building management system can connect the Centauri to it through a BACnet or Modbus gateway. Without a management system, the 24 V thermostat interface lets you keep an existing thermostat. The external inputs and outputs are used for interlocks:

• with a door switch, connected to the main entrance that opens constantly on busy days;
• with the building’s fire alarm;
• with backup heating or a humidifier, backup heating logic included, for the coldest days.

A large showroom sometimes needs several units. Group control then lets you set them together from a single controller, so the front of the store and the back of the room follow the same setpoint.

No controller is delivered with the system: it is one of the project’s choices. The KAGAMI UTY-RVRU or the UTY-RNRUZ5, two wired touchscreen controllers, fit well in the office or behind the cash register, while simple wired controllers are enough for employees who only adjust the temperature. For a wireless remote, you add the infrared receiver kit and the UTY-LBTUH, both sold separately; as for the UTY-TFSXJ4 Wi-Fi adapter, it gives access to the AIRSTAGE Mobile app, handy for an owner who manages more than one location.

On performance, AHRI certificate 215434551 points to the following NEEP values:

• at −8 °C, 25,400 BTU of nominal heating capacity and a COP of 3.11;
• at −15 °C, NEEP test point, 31,000 BTU with a COP of 2.10;
• at −21 °C, the lower limit of the certified tests, 27,000 BTU and a COP of 1.94;
• in cooling, a SEER2 of 21.3 and an EER2 of 11.2; in seasonal heating, an HSPF2 of 10.4.

The test points differ, so these figures are read one by one, with no calculated relationship between them. Heating works down to −21 °C, with no low-temperature cut-off according to GENERAL’s documentation, which also claims as much as 20% additional heat over the labelled nominal capacity. For the retailer, that means a single unit to cool and heat, rather than an air conditioner on one side and unit heaters on the other.

In a showroom, background music and conversations should not have to compete with the ventilation. In the room, the indoor unit produces 32 to 44 dB(A), across four fan steps and an automatic setting. The compact, universal outdoor unit is rated at 56.0 dB(A), with quiet mode to back it up, useful if it faces a courtyard or an upstairs apartment. In summer, dehumidification reaches 9.1 pints per hour, for drier air around the merchandise and the customers alike.

On site, the indoor unit, 9.25 in high, mounts under the ceiling with no recessing work. Between the room and the outdoor unit run the refrigerant line (3/8 in and 5/8 in), the drain and the cable that powers the indoor unit. With 50 m (164 ft) of line allowed, 30 m (98 ft) of possible height difference and a 20 m (66 ft) precharge, the outdoor unit can go on the roof or behind the building, mounted on a base or a bracket. For condensate, two options: gravity, or an optional drain pump when the route requires it; the quote states which one. Your electrician provides a 208/230 V circuit, with 21 A for the MCA and 25 A for the MOP, and a refrigeration technician handles commissioning.

The manufacturer’s modes follow a store’s schedule: economy mode during quiet hours, minimum heat at night and on closed days, powerful mode at opening on a cold morning, auto restart after an outage and automatic defrost in the depths of winter. For durability, the series relies on ProCore coils, in copper with high corrosion resistance. As for R-32, its global warming potential sits about 68% below that of R-410A, and less of it is needed to charge the system.

Maintenance stays simple: the indoor unit’s filters are cleaned regularly, a task staff learn at commissioning. A high ceiling calls for a stepladder, and we take that into account when choosing the location.

Hydro-Québec’s LogisVert list in effect on October 27, 2026 lists this model for $3,048; it also holds ENERGY STAR certification (ID 4006752) with the cold climate designation. In a commercial setting, we validate the building’s eligibility at the quote stage rather than promising that amount. Identical warranty whatever the brand: 12 years compressor, 12 years parts, 6 years labour.

This unit is aimed at showrooms, boutiques, furniture or appliance stores, dealerships and open-plan retail stores that want a large volume of air without sacrificing a foot of wall or floor.

Business in Anjou (Montreal): get your free quote

A free quote starts with a call to 514 316-2973. We assess the sales floor, the ceiling height, the possible outdoor unit location and your building management needs, then we hand you a clear proposal for one or more 36,000 BTU Centauri units.

A Montreal-based HVAC contractor, AirGreen also serves Longueuil, Laval, the South Shore and the North Shore. Whether your quote says GENERAL AIRSTAGE or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE, it is the same equipment, and we install it with the same care.