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Case Study: Mitsubishi Heat Pump in Bend, OR

Author: Bill Hoelzer / Published: September 2021 / Read Time: Four and Half Minutes


“From start to finish, everyone on their team was easy to work with and met my unique demands. I can’t recommend them enough.”

-Brodie M. (Bend, OR)

Our client Brodie M. finally had enough. He lived in part of Deschutes County with no gas service, so he relied primarily on a pellet stove to heat his home through the winter.

He got tired of feeding the stove all day, then waking up to a 50° house. Brodie spent years thinking about the best HVAC system for his home and eventually landed on a Mitsubishi heat pump. That’s when he reached out to GreenSavers (and seven other HVAC contractors in Central Oregon).

Brodie’s House at a Glance

“I had an unusually complex multi zone system that needed to be adapted to an older two-story home. I specifically did the project on account of the cooling and heating efficiencies of modern heat pumps in county locations not serviced by natural gas.”

Brodie M. (Bend, OR)

  • Built: 1993

  • Square Feet: 2,600

  • 4 Beds / 3 Baths

The heat Pump Plan

We installed a Four-Zone Hyper Heat Cold Climate Mitsubishi Heat Pump, which operates at 100% heating capacity down to 0° and up to 85% heating capacity down to -13° F.

Inside, Brodie went with a SVZ air handler to distribute conditioned air through existing ducts upstairs, and he got three cassettes downstairs to create four separate zones that can be heated and cooled independently.

The Indoor Units

This is the Mitsubishi SVZ air handler (SVZKP18NA) that connects to the existing ducts in Brodie’s attic. We went with this particular unit to efficiently heat and cool multiple upstairs bedrooms.

Downstairs, Brodie had living space with a separate studio that he’s building out as a rental. To heat and cool each of the areas downstairs, Brodie asked for three cassettes (SLZKF15NA). The cassettes cost more than the wall mounted units, but they give an incredibly clean finish.

Brodie’s cassettes are called “four way cassettes'“ because they have the ability to direct air in four different directions. Each cassette pulls air in through the center (the grated area) and blows conditioned air out through the four slots on the sides.

The cassettes fit into framing that’s 24” on center, but in Brodie’s home, we had to modify the joists. Here you can see the modified joists on the backside of a cassette:

Each indoor unit comes with a thermostat to monitor the temperature and a remote to increase or decrease the temperature. With the addition of Mitsubishi Kumo Cloud, you could also control the temperature of each indoor unit from you smart phone. This is the MHK2 Mitsubishi thermostat.

The indoor units all connect to a single outdoor unit through a branch box. In the spirit of being thorough, here’s what the branch box looks like:

The Outdoor Unit

For Brodie, aesthetics mattered quite a bit. He didn’t want multiple outdoor units with line set running all over the place. That’s one of the main reasons that he decided to go with a Mitsubishi system. The entire heat pump system not only offers the most flexibility, but also, it has a very streamlined aesthetic.

All of Brodie’s indoor units run off a single outdoor unit (MXZ-8C48NAHZ2-U1). We generally recommend placing an outdoor unit on the grand rather than mounting it on a wall because each unit vibrates gently when operating. Brodie built a custom, solid steel wall mount rack with burly insulators. The mount isn’t typical, but it turned out pretty well.

How Much did it Cost?

“I strongly recommend GreenSavers if you’re looking at a Mitsubishi multi zone heat pump system. Don’t bother looking elsewhere, I did and all the other HVC players in Central Oregon are just that, players who come off like car salesmen with laughable quotes.”

Brodie M. (Bend, OR)

Brodie reached out to a total of eight HVAC contractors and got quotes for the same system as high as $45K. With cash incentives, Brodie’s project came out to less than $25K with GreenSavers.

  • Total Cost: $26,295

  • Discounts / Incentives: -$1,300

  • Federal Tax Credit: -$300

  • Net Cost: $24,695

  • Monthly Payment (25-month, 50% down, 0% interest): $499

On the savings side of the ledger, Brodie now saves a significant amount on his energy bills each month. He pays a maximum $35 a month on his energy bills at the peak of summer and $75 a month at the peak of winter. He no longer has to pay for pellets or electricity to power the aging heat pump he had before working with GreenSavers.

What’s the Home Like Now?

“Coming from heating with a wood stove and pellet stove my house is now as easy as easy living gets. Still under a bit of construction/remodel but that is my own doing. I couldn’t be happier with the system.”

Brodie M. (Bend, OR)

Learn More about Heat Pumps

Start by visiting our resource pages for homeowners in Portland, Oregon:

And our heat pump resource pages for homeowners in Bend, Oregon:

You can also keep reading our latest blog articles about heat pumps and ductless heat pumps.

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