Multi Split Heat Pumps for Napier Homes
Run two, three or more rooms off a single outdoor unit. Good news if you're short on wall space or you've got a tricky hill site in Poraiti or Bay View.
A multi split heat pump runs several indoor units off one outdoor compressor. You get a head in each room you choose, controlled separately, without a second or third box bolted to the wall outside. It suits multi-room Napier homes and sites where outdoor space is tight.
Why one outdoor unit suits Napier homes
Plenty of the newer subdivisions around Tamatea and Greenmeadows are multi-room family homes where a single high wall unit in the lounge just doesn't reach the bedrooms. A multi split fixes that. One outdoor unit feeds indoor heads in the rooms that matter, so the whole house stays comfortable through a hot Hawke's Bay summer and those cold, frosty inland nights.
On the hill sites above Napier, outdoor space and clean wall runs are often in short supply. Fitting three separate single splits means three outdoor boxes and three sets of pipework hunting for a spot. A multi split keeps it to one unit, which is easier to place and tidier to look at. If you're weighing up the options, it's worth comparing the full range of types of heat pump before you settle.
Mixing indoor unit styles on one system
A multi split doesn't lock you into the same head in every room. You can run a standard high wall in the kids' rooms, a floor console heat pump in the lounge where you want warmth low down fast, and a discreet ceiling cassette heat pump in an open-plan living space, all off the one outdoor unit.
That flexibility is the main reason people go this route. If you'd rather hide everything in the roof space with vents in each room instead of heads on the walls, a fully ducted heat pump system is the other way to do a whole home, though it's a bigger job and usually costs more.
- High wall heads for bedrooms and hallways
- Floor consoles where you want heat down low
- Ceiling cassettes for open living areas
- All controlled room by room, off one outdoor unit
Getting the sizing right across rooms
A multi split has a shared outdoor capacity, so the trick is matching it to the total load of every room you're running at once. Undersize it and the system struggles on a July frost or a February scorcher. Oversize it and you've paid for grunt you never use. Room size, ceiling height, insulation and how much glazing faces the afternoon sun all feed into the number.
You can get a rough idea with our heat pump sizing calculator, then we'll confirm it on site. For the outdoor unit we mostly fit Mitsubishi Electric heat pumps, which have a solid multi split range that copes well with the Bay's temperature swings.
What a multi split costs to install
A multi split usually costs more upfront than a single high wall unit, because you're paying for the extra indoor heads and the longer pipe runs to reach each room. Against separate single splits it can work out similar or a bit less once you factor in only having one outdoor unit and one set of brackets to mount.
The real variables are how many rooms, the head styles you pick, and how far the pipework has to travel through your home. We break the numbers down on our heat pump installation cost page, and the heat pump installation Napier details cover how we handle the fit on both flat coastal sites and the trickier hill blocks.
Not sure how many heads you need?
Tell us which rooms you want warm and we'll size the whole thing up. Call 06 242 4129 or send us the details.
Multi split questions we get asked
What is a multi split heat pump?
It's a heat pump where one outdoor unit runs two or more indoor heads. Each room has its own indoor unit and its own control, but they all share the single compressor outside. That's the difference from a standard single split, which is one outdoor unit to one indoor unit.
How many rooms can one multi split system heat?
Most multi splits handle two to five rooms, depending on the outdoor unit's capacity and the size of each room. A three or four head setup covers a typical Napier family home nicely. Push past that and you're often better looking at a ducted system instead.
Is a multi split cheaper than separate heat pumps?
It can be, but not always. You save by having one outdoor unit and one set of brackets rather than several, which also frees up wall and ground space. But the outdoor unit itself is dearer, so on a two-room job separate single splits sometimes come out cheaper. We'll price both if it's close.
Can I add more indoor units to a multi split later?
Sometimes, but only if the outdoor unit was sized with spare capacity for it. A multi split is rated for a set number of heads, so if it's already at its limit you can't just add another. If you think you'll expand later, tell us now and we'll size the outdoor unit with room to grow.
Get a multi split sorted for your place
We install and back the systems we fit across Ahuriri, Poraiti, Bay View and right through Napier. Send us your rooms for a quote, or ring 06 242 4129 to talk it through.