Ductless heat pump installs in Toronto for whole homes without ductwork. Radiator homes in the Annex, Rosedale and Riverdale. Baseboard bungalows in Scarborough. We put in cold-climate multi-zone systems with 2-5 indoor heads, with line sets routed through closets and exterior covers so the plaster stays put. Keep the boiler as backup or retire it. Either way you get AC for the first time and a lower heating bill. Just one room? That’s a mini-split.
Is ductless right for your house?
Ductless multi-zone is the default answer when there are no ducts and no good way to add them.
- Century homes on cast iron radiators. Cabbagetown, Riverdale, the Annex, Rosedale. Hydronic heat, no AC, plaster you don’t want to touch.
- Electric baseboard homes. Post-war bungalows in Scarborough and Etobicoke. Baseboard runs at 1:1. A cold-climate heat pump runs near 3:1.
- Additions and finished attics that the furnace never reached.
- Homes with tiny or failing ducts where a rebuild costs more than the heat pump.
If you already have decent ducts, a central ducted heat pump is usually the better fit.
What indoor head types are there?
| Head type | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wall-mounted head | Bedrooms, living rooms | Most common, lowest cost per zone |
| Floor console | Under windows, bay windows | Good where wall space is tight or trim matters |
| Ceiling cassette | Finished basements, open plans | Flush look, needs joist space |
| Slim ducted | 2-3 small rooms off one unit | Short duct runs hidden in a bulkhead |
Each head is sized from its own room load on the Manual J. Oversized heads short-cycle and feel clammy in July.
How do we route lines without wrecking plaster?
Planning. We walk the house and find the shortest path from each head to the outdoor unit using closets, stacked closets between floors, chases beside chimneys and the exterior wall. Outside, lines run in a painted line hide cover that matches the brick or trim. Inside, you see a small cover behind each head and that’s it. The Cabbagetown row house on our Mitsubishi page was one day on site with three heads and no plaster repair.
Which equipment do we use?
Cold-climate multi-zone outdoor units only: the Fujitsu AOU-U36 for 3-5 head systems and Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat MSZ-FH heads and multi-zone units. Both are rated to -30C with full capacity at -15C. Flare connections are torqued to spec, then nitrogen pressure tested and pulled to a deep micron vacuum. Most multi-zone leaks we fix for other companies trace back to a rushed flare. More on the brands: Fujitsu and Mitsubishi.
Keep the boiler or retire it?
Keep it, and the hydronic boiler becomes backup heat for the deepest cold. Most owners find the radiators barely come on. Retire it, and you drop a gas appliance, free up basement space and may change your rebate path. Our TSSA gas technician handles either way. We show both options in the quote.
What does it cost to run?
Baseboard homes see the biggest drop, because electric resistance is the most expensive heat in the city. Radiator homes on gas see smaller heating savings but gain central-quality cooling for the first time. Exact numbers depend on your Toronto Hydro rate plan, TOU or ULO, and how the house is insulated.
Ductless retrofits are a big share of our Toronto heat pump work in Scarborough and downtown Toronto. See the full installation process, or book a room-by-room load calc.
