Multi-Room Heat Pumps: One Outdoor Unit
Two, three, four or five rooms individually heated and cooled - all running off a single outdoor unit. The smart middle ground between single high walls and full ducted.
Whole-home comfort, one tidy box outside
A multi-split heat pump connects multiple indoor units - high walls in the bedrooms, maybe a floor console in the lounge - to one shared outdoor unit.
Each room gets its own remote, its own temperature, its own schedule. Your exterior gets one tidy box instead of a row of them.
Typical investment: $6,500 – $13,000+ installed, depending on the number of rooms and indoor unit types. As a rule of thumb, a multi-split costs less than the same rooms done as separate single systems once you're past two rooms.
When multi-split is the right answer
Built for exactly the constraints of modern NZ housing.
Townhouses and apartments
Where there's only one legal or practical spot for an outdoor unit. With Auckland's townhouse boom, this is our most-requested system in the new suburbs - and we handle body corporate approvals paperwork routinely.Homes without usable roof space
Skillion roofs, flat roofs and tight ceiling cavities that rule out ducted.
Different rooms, different people
Teenagers who run tropical, a nursery that needs a steady 20°C, a home office used 9–5. Every indoor unit is independent.Protecting your exterior
Heritage villas in Ponsonby or Terrace End where four outdoor units would be an eyesore, and boundary setback or noise rules limit placements.Mix and match indoor units
One outdoor unit can drive different indoor styles in different rooms. We design the combination around how you actually live – and size the outdoor unit for realistic simultaneous use, not the fantasy of every room at full noise on the coldest morning of the year.
| Indoor unit | Best for |
|---|---|
| High wall | Bedrooms, offices, living areas – the efficient default |
| Floor console | Lounges with low walls, replacing old night-store heaters |
| Ceiling cassette | Open-plan spaces wanting 360° airflow, minimal visual impact |
| Bulkhead / ducted mini | A hidden unit serving one or two adjacent rooms |
Multi-split vs ducted vs separate units - the straight answer
Genuinely torn? We'll quote two options side by side with running-cost estimates so you can decide on numbers, not vibes.
Choose multi-split when…
You want individual room control without zoning hardware, your roof space can't take ducting, or outdoor-unit space is limited. Bonus: if one indoor unit ever faults, the others keep running.
Choose ducted when…
You want invisible, evenly-conditioned whole-home comfort and have the ceiling space - usually the better call from ~4+ rooms in a conventional roofline. See our ducted systems.
Choose separate singles when...
You're only doing one or two rooms, or staging your budget over a couple of years. Start with a single high wall unit.
Not sure?
Book the free design visit - we'll calculate loads room by room and price the two best-fit options side by side.
All options installed by the same accredited crew, with registered electricians and up to 5–6 year warranties.
Our process
Free design visit to fixed quote to a one-day install for most 2–3 room systems.
Free in-home design visit
Room-by-room load calculation, indoor unit selection, outdoor unit placement (and body corp requirements if relevant).
Fixed itemised quote
Every unit, all pipework, electrical and commissioning, incl. GST.
Installation
Most 2–3 room systems are completed in a day; larger systems two. Registered electricians on the crew; refrigerant lines pressure-tested and vacuum-charged; capping kept tidy and minimal.
Handover
Controls walkthrough, warranty registration (up to 5–6 years parts and labour), Electrical Safety Certificate, clean site.
Local know-how: in Auckland - compact outdoor units engineered for tight townhouse courtyards and apartment balconies, with quiet-mode compressors that keep the neighbours (and the body corp) happy. In Palmerston North - outdoor units sized for genuine low-temperature output and positioned out of the prevailing wind so defrost cycles don't eat your morning warm-up.
Frequently asked questions
How many rooms can one outdoor unit run?
Commonly two to five indoor units, brand and model depending. Beyond that, ducted or a second system usually makes more sense - we'll advise on the crossover point for your home.
Can each room be set to a different temperature?
Yes - every indoor unit has independent control, remotes and (optionally) app scheduling. All rooms run in the same mode (heating or cooling) on standard multi-splits.
What happens if the outdoor unit fails?
All connected rooms stop, which is the honest trade-off versus separate singles. It's also why we install proven brands with 5–6 year warranties and offer annual servicing to keep everything healthy.
Is a multi-split cheaper than separate heat pumps?
For three or more rooms, usually yes on installation - and always tidier outside. For exactly two rooms it's often line-ball; we'll price both.
Will it suit my apartment or townhouse?
Almost certainly - it's the system designed for exactly that constraint. We manage body corporate approvals, noise compliance and balcony/courtyard placements regularly across Auckland
One outdoor unit. Every room sorted.
Free design visit and fixed quote, Auckland and Palmerston North.