Cold-climate 18,000 BTU mini-splits ranked by 5°F heating
Ranking criteria: ENERGY STAR cold-climate designation = Yes; cooling capacity in the 18,000 BTU (1.5 ton) class; ranked by heating capacity at 5°F as a % of capacity at 47°F, then COP at 5°F, then HSPF2. Values above 100% mean the rated 5°F capacity is higher than the nominal 47°F rating (the 47°F figure is the nominal rating defined by the DOE test procedure). Data: ENERGY STAR certification records retrieved 2026-10-17. Rankings are calculated from published ratings only. They are not hands-on tests or installations, and noise, price, warranty, installer availability and reliability are not considered (not in the data).
| # | Outdoor brand | Outdoor unit | Indoor unit | Cooling BTU/h | Heat 47°F | Heat 5°F | % at 5°F | COP 5°F | HSPF2 | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitsubishi Electric | MUZ-FX18NLHZ*** | MSZ-FX18NL*** | 17,200 | 17,000 | 23,600 | 139% | 2.06 | 11.1 | 3629932 |
| 2 | Mitsubishi Electric | MUZ-FX18NLHZ2*** | MSZ-FX18NL*** | 17,200 | 17,000 | 23,600 | 139% | 2.06 | 11.1 | 3995816 |
| 3 | Mitsubishi Electric | MUZ-FX15NLHZ*** | MSZ-FX15NL*** | 15,000 | 16,500 | 22,200 | 135% | 2.06 | 11 | 3629931 |
| 4 | Mitsubishi Electric | MUZ-FX15NLHZ2*** | MSZ-FX15NL*** | 15,000 | 16,500 | 22,200 | 135% | 2.06 | 11 | 3995815 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi Electric | MUZ-FX24NLHZ*** | MSZ-FX24NL*** | 20,800 | 19,800 | 26,600 | 134% | 2.05 | 10.5 | 3722800 |
| 6 | Mitsubishi Electric | MUZ-FX24NLHZ2*** | MSZ-FX24NL*** | 20,800 | 19,800 | 26,600 | 134% | 2.05 | 10.5 | 3995817 |
| 7 | Panasonic | CU-2Z18ABUC | 18,000 | 18,000 | 22,000 | 122% | 2.15 | 12.5 | 3555693 | |
| 8 | Fujitsu | AOU18RLXFZH | 18,000 | 18,000 | 22,000 | 122% | 1.84 | 9.6 | 2409923 | |
| 9 | Rheem | RO2HFZ18AJ1H | 18,000 | 18,000 | 22,000 | 122% | 1.84 | 9.6 | 2740306 | |
| 10 | Ruud | RO2HFZ18AJ1H | 18,000 | 18,000 | 22,000 | 122% | 1.84 | 9.6 | 2740305 | |
| 11 | AUX | AM2-H18/2DR3B | 18,000 | 18,000 | 21,800 | 121% | 2 | 11 | 3442114 | |
| 12 | AUX | ASUM18HPMULO | 18,000 | 18,000 | 21,800 | 121% | 2 | 11 | 3417724 | |
| 13 | Ortech | OAH-MZ18K-208-CH-O | 18,000 | 18,000 | 21,800 | 121% | 2 | 11 | 4672997 | |
| 14 | Airquest | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410598 |
| 15 | Arcoaire | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410706 |
| 16 | Bryant | 38MPRBQ18AA3 | 619PHBQ18XA3 | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410594 |
| 17 | Carrier | 38MPRBQ18AA3 | 40MPHBQ18XA3 | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410593 |
| 18 | Comfortmaker | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410705 |
| 19 | Day & Night | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410704 |
| 20 | Heil | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410703 |
| 21 | Keeprite | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410702 |
| 22 | Kenmore | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410701 |
| 23 | LPS Legacy | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2448971 |
| 24 | Midea | 38MPRBQ18AA3 | DHMPHBQ18XA3 | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410595 |
| 25 | Midea | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410700 |
| 26 | Payne | 38MPRBQ18AA3 | DHMPHBQ18XA3 | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410597 |
| 27 | SMART COMFORT | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410697 |
| 28 | Tempstar | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410698 |
| 29 | Viessmann | DLCPRBH18AAK | DLFPHBH18XAK | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 3629881 |
| 30 | WEATHERMAKER | 38MPRBQ18AA3 | DHMPHBQ18XA3 | 18,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 | 120% | 2.89 | 11 | 2410596 |
2,458 of 2,991 pairings in this class are cold-climate certified. A high % at 5°F matters most if you heat through long cold snaps; also check the absolute 5°F BTU/h against your heat loss (a Manual J load calculation).