Once again the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air Conditioners Australia (MHIAA) stand was one of the most popular destinations at this year’s ARBS Exhibition.
Part of it certainly had to do with the pizza bar that maintained a long line over two days, but let’s be clear it is never just about good hospitality. MHIAA is one of the most identifiable and respected brands in HVAC.
Boasting a large seating area, it was also a popular location to take a break and strike up some conversation before exploring the massive stand.
MHIAA has a staggering track record for bringing award-winning ideas and equipment to Australia, and this year was no different, with the company showcasing technology currently in development for a planned launch locally.
Many of the visitors over the three days simply wanted to see what the next wave of innovation looked like. What they saw looked efficient, green, and powerful.
Take for example the upcoming Hydrolution EZY, a new smart and small range of air-to-water heat pump systems that has been designed for residential and light commercial applications.
Available in a 10kW and 14kW capacity, these units are also enormously energy efficient with a COP of 4.5 putting sustainability at the fore through the use of R32 refrigerant.
These units can either come as an ‘all-in-one’ system or a monoblock system. “We are impressed with how quickly heat pumps are replacing gas boilers and electrical heaters due to their efficiency and being very environmentally friendly,” Graham Hamilton, MHIAA general manager of sales, said.
The Hydrolution EZY was part of a common theme across the MHIAA stand, and representative of the company’s overall direction.
The global MHI Group announced back in 2021 that its MISSION NET ZERO goal was to cut the Groupwide CO2 emissions to net zero by 2040. The Hydrolution EZY is a strong step forward with that goal in mind.
Elsewhere at the stand was the Hydrolution PRO, an inverter heat pump chiller that also operates with R32 refrigerant.
Available in three sizes (from 44kW to 90kW in size), and utilising an advanced “e-3D scroll” compressor for maximum energy efficiency, this chiller is another positive statement towards eco-friendliness.
“It’s a significant step forward into commercial products for us,” Hamilton said, adding that another key feature of this unit is its customisability. It will be available with or without pump, and with or without expansion tank, and will be available in Australia later this year.
Technology for the home was no less a focus this year, and MHIAA was showcasing a unit that will be of great interest to those with more spacious homes: Where previously the largest FDUA ducted unit from MHIAA was single phase 16.0kW and for the three phase 20.0kW, this new one is a much more powerful 23 5kw.
Meanwhile, MHIAA also demonstrated the next stage in home comfort with the latest Ciara residential air conditioner range. These units are the embodiment of smart living, and feature clean air technology to further enhance the comfort of the space.
With inbuilt Wi-Fi, users can control their AC almost anywhere at any time and together with the Smart M-Air App, the unit can integrate with third-party devices such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa for maximum convenience.
“You would be able to operate the unit with voice commands,” Hamilton said, adding that the App also has the ability for users to monitor their electricity consumption and energy bill.
Just as Steve Jobs had his one more thing MHIAA’s stand had one more surprise in store for attendees – a first look at the KXZ3.
This new VHF unit (22.4kW to 33.5kW) will deliver high performance in both cooling and heating for commercial applications, with a high level of design flexibility, improved efficiency, as well as enhanced operational functions.
Utilising R32 refrigerant, it will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 70 per cent, and has a one-fan structure and a vertical discharge.
The KXZ3 will be coming to Australia very soon. On top of that, MHIAA also had a totally new solution to share, developed in partnership with Systemair.
This DX-AHU’s combine MHIAA’s high performance VRF products to create fully customisable solutions and then combines them together to enable the deployment of an air handling unit of any size.
This solution has been something that Mitsubishi has been cooking over the past year, Hamilton said, and the company used ARBS to let everyone know that they are taking orders.
“We run the AHU using our VRF outdoor units in conjunction with the EEV kit, EEV board, and five sensors that will be mounted in five locations of the air handling units,” Hamilton said.
“This solution stands out for its unique blend of flexibility, capacity control, and indoor air quality functions, such as superior filtration and fresh air supply.”
From the living room to large commercial installations, MHIAA continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the HVAC industry.
With a focus on energy efficiency, customisation, and environmental sustainability, MHIAA’s latest developments are not just products but solutions for a greener, smarter future.
“We’ve been thrilled with the response our stand has had this year,” Hamilton said. “The interest from everyone has been exceptional. We’ve had lots of good questions and visitors who have been genuinely interested in learning about what we’re bringing to market.”
Come for the pizza, stay for the innovation; It’s clear that MHIAA’s solutions resonated with the crowd over the three days of ARBS, setting the stage for a successful integration of these advanced systems into the Australian market.