Mitsubishi Heavy Industries air conditioners, the current range

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries units are on a lot of walls in Hepburn Shire, and we install and service them regularly. Here is where the range stands at the time of writing, taken from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia (MHIAA), the company that brings the brand into the country.

One thing first. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Electric are separate companies with separate products. If you are not sure which one you have, our piece on Mitsubishi Heavy and Mitsubishi Electric shows how to tell.

Wall splits by name

MHIAA names its wall mounted splits rather than leading with a model code. On its split systems page there are five current wall ranges.

• Avanti, 2.0 to 5.0 kW, in reverse cycle or cooling only. MHIAA pitches it at small to medium spaces. The WF1 models add built in Wi-Fi and what MHIAA calls its NOVAShield filter.
• Avanti Plus, 2.0 to 6.0 kW, reverse cycle. MHIAA describes its energy efficiency as industry leading, and it has a motion sensor that drops into an eco mode when the room is empty, and Wi-Fi on the WF models.
• Bronte, 6.3 to 10.0 kW, in reverse cycle or cooling only. The bigger wall unit, for larger living areas. MHIAA quotes cooling airflow reaching up to 18 metres on the 7.1 to 9.5 kW models.
• Ciara, 1.5 to 7.1 kW, reverse cycle. A compact design with two quiet mode levels and Wi-Fi with voice control on the WFJ model.
• Elouera ZTA, with built in Wi-Fi, voice control through Google and Alexa speakers, an ioniser, and a choice of white or matte black. MHIAA quotes airflow reaching up to 11 metres, tested on the 5.0 kW model.

A small aside on that 1.5 kW Ciara. A unit that small is useful for a study, a nursery or a small bedroom where a 2.5 kW unit would be more than the room needs.

When a wall unit is not the answer

MHIAA also sells two room units that are not on the wall.

• Wera floor standing, 2.5 to 5.0 kW, reverse cycle. It sits low on the wall like an old column heater. MHIAA suggests it for small to medium rooms where wall space is limited. We like floor units in rooms used mostly for heating, because the warm air starts where your feet are.
• Akari bulkhead, 2.5 to 5.6 kW, reverse cycle. It sits in the ceiling space or a bulkhead and sends air through grilles, so nothing hangs on the wall. MHIAA describes it as quiet enough for bedrooms.

Beyond single rooms, MHIAA has ducted systems for whole homes, multi-split systems where one outdoor unit runs several indoor heads, and a separate commercial range. Ducted design is a bigger conversation, and our ducted page is the place to start.

The warranty, read properly

MHIAA's warranty document, effective January 2025, sets out its terms by series and by how the unit is used. For residential use, most of its series carry five years on parts, labour and the compressor. Some multi systems carry shorter terms unless commissioning data is supplied to MHIAA. Commercial use keeps five years on several series but less on some multis.

Three conditions in that document are worth knowing before you buy:

1. Use. What MHIAA calls non-human comfort use, such as beverage storage, computer rooms or similar, drops to one year. A wall split cooling a keg room is not a comfort install.
2. Who repairs it. MHIAA says warranty repairs must be carried out by a service agent it nominates.
3. Access and environment. The document puts safe access on the owner, says the equipment should be reachable with a 1.7 metre ladder, and leaves extra corrosion protection in corrosive spots to the owner.

None of this is unusual for a manufacturer warranty, but it is the sort of fine print that matters when a unit is mounted high above a stairwell or used for something other than comfort.

Who MHI suits

In plain terms, MHI is a sensible choice for most homes. The range is wide at the small end, which helps with bedrooms and studies, and the Bronte covers big living areas without stepping up to a commercial unit. If you want Wi-Fi and voice control, several models have it built in rather than as an add on.

What we would not do is choose a range from the brochure alone. A heating system for a weatherboard cottage in Daylesford needs to be sized for winter, with the outdoor unit placed where it can breathe. The right size and placement do more for comfort than which name is on the front.

If you would like us to look at a room and quote an MHI split system, or you have an older MHI unit that needs a service, get in touch through our contact page or call 0417 734 206 on weekdays between 8:00am and 4:30pm.