Walk N Talk AHR Expo 2024: Unpacking Midea's Revolutionary Window Heat Pump

Michael had the pleasure to speak with David from MIDEA at the 2024 AHR Expo exploring a groundbreaking innovation in home heating and cooling: the Midea PWHP, a window-mounted cold climate air source heat pump.
The Midea PWHP is designed for easy installation in standard windows using a 120V/15A circuit, thanks to its innovative saddle design and adjustable center section. This unique design allows for installation in windows with lower opening heights and reduces the footprint by 50%, a first in the industry with its integrated inverter compressor.
This cutting-edge device is not only DIY-friendly but also remarkably efficient, boasting 9,000 BTU/hr of heating and cooling power with a top CEER of 16.0. It stands out for its energy efficiency, achieving a 2.35 COP at 17°F, SEER2 of up to 21.8, and HSPF2 of 11.6, all while functioning effectively down to -13°F without auxiliary heat.
Beyond its technical prowess, the Midea PWHP is a key player in the Clean Heat For All challenge. This initiative, led by the NYPA, NYCHA, and NYSERDA, aims to transition NYCHA buildings from steam heating to more efficient air source heat pump heating. Midea's PWHP aligns perfectly with this goal, supporting NYCHA's mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 and offering a viable, efficient heating solution for numerous municipalities and companies across the U.S.

[@robertfeliciano5723]

The product page has been pulled from Midea's site. Is this thing DOA?

[@midearacglobal4687]

Major thanks to Michael Ridler for sharing the latest information about Midea PWHP! 🙌 Midea is committed to ongoing improvements in energy efficiency and playing a vital role in the 'Clean Heating for Everyone' initiative.

[@longfeijiang2449]

Is this planned for retail release? I'm out in long island and want to upgrade to this from your u shaped unit for the winter

[@aixmcduck9321]

Oh *heck* yes. This looks smashing.

[@Egleu1]

Do we know when this will be available for consumers to buy?

[@blazetownsend8785]

Same question here.

[@curtisehler4825]

Same question here

[@EMERALDJAYNE]

This is awesome! I have a large house and I would have to put a mini split in so many rooms it really didn't save me any money and it wouldn't save electricity but I think this might work! But I don't like to buy things when they first come out I want to wait until they get the glitches worked out of them😅 Also my concern is will it keep your house warm when it's 11° outside? That's my concern for heat pumps?😢 Thanks for posting this I'm still on the fence and my Lennox is on its last leg but I think I'm going to wait and see how this works... I'm really excited that especially with the size and if it really saves US money 😁🙏🇺🇲

[@chuckm8472]

I have 2 midea u shape air units, so far I have been impressed. There not a year old yet so we will see how long they last and if there is a problem how easy it is to service them. That unit would be great in Florida because you could run it on a Generator in a emergency. I wonder what Midea is doing about having qualified techs to service them around the country. So many people I know installed mini splits but can't find anyone to service or repair them.

[@Chris-ut6eq]

availability is key. I can't even find this on their website.

[@mvpmachine]

I have the Midea U shaped funky cold Midea 8k ac crazy how efficient it is barely moves the electric bill and works great. I want one of these! This company impresses me with thier quality and innovation, and a bit of alien tech mixed in 😀

[@CGrantL]

They make really nice ductless units too

[@amightysailingman]

You didn't ask the really important questions of when it's going to be available and what's the target price range. Touting the technology isn't useful if nobody can buy it. My landlord really wants to put in heat pumps because my idiot neighbors like to run their thermostats at 78º and he's paying for the natural gas for the building's boiler. He's thinking of putting in mini-splits, but they're not cheap and neither is the installation. I told him he should wait for these, but he's getting impatient. He wants to do it this year, 2025 at the absolute furthest out.

[@mikemotorbike4283]

landlords learned this many years ago: set real temp to 69-72 degrees F. Put in fake thermostat enclosed within locked clear plastic thermostat cover product. Tenant will sneak a paperclip in there and feel oh so clever.

[@daniellewis1789]

Target price is ballpark $3k based on the NYC contract it's designed to fit.

[@amightysailingman]

@@daniellewis1789 Hope so, but there's no official word and that may not be the case. Gradient was the other company chosen for the contract and they've set the retail price of their unit at $5000.

[@briimarie2218]

Ive heard midea will be 3k gradients version will be 3,800-5k

[@jakesteele7962]

@@mikemotorbike4283 id assume that the tenant would just use window shakers or space heaters

[@Chris-ut6eq]

Availability in the USA? MSRP?

[@digitalalchemy6414]

how many watts does it pull? can you run it at lower power like the Midea U A/C units. I use them for zoned cooling in north florida and rarely need to turn them higher than Medium or dehumidify.

[@CraftsmanontheLake]

Interesting unit. Seriously considering it. Your camera movement needs improvement. Constant movement, often to places not showing anythings. Stationary on one side fo the window and the on the other while talking. I'm dizzy.

[@dougpriest9795]

Now make the price under $1000

[@PowerHouse-yp8in]

The only unit I know of is the Solusa I bought one two years ago works pretty good but the heat pump won't work below 35 deg.F

[@kartenalexos8348]

I like the product, but I think we should make it easier to install split unit heat pumps across the US. In NYC permitting is hard with spit units. But it has picked up steam in Queens in the last few years. Getting common now like the ROW

[@N2LADIES55]

Very informative interview. I live in a very small brick home that is only 646 square feet and I'm looking for something like this in the future when the prices come down. One of their competitor's Gradient is selling their unit for about $5000 (US dollars) when they originally estimated it would be about $1999 and that's too much for me when I can just buy a $300 window air conditioner to keep my small home comfortable.

[@Moondoggy1941]

Does not Midea make a U Shape AC/Heater unit already? I have the AC unit but not one that heats.

[@ciliap]

@@Moondoggy1941 no its just ac

[@ciliap]

honestly, a small heat/cool mini split would be a far better solution and runs circles around a window ac energy consumption wise if you go Seer2

[@lisab3396]

The obviouis question is...... Where to buy in Canada? Took a brief look earlier and nothing came up.

[@CGrantL]

This would have been great when I was stuck with baseboard heat in a rental

[@Contridiction-vp3fv]

I saw a lot of cool innovations, like the handles, it's fold able for install etc... But both the ad I saw that lead me here, and the video both, make it sound like this is the first time anyone has made a window heat pump.That's not true, I have used window heatpumps from several different manufacturers. Ranging from 8k btu up to 28k btu. When we bought our current trailer, we decided to turn down the central unit, so we could keep using the window heat pump units. But, I will definitely check this out, I do need to add one.

[@RobSnow-ui4sz]

How many amps does this need? Sure it needs 115 volt but like space heaters they need more often to be on a sperate breaker.

[@JKDJack]

Probably like 7 or 8

[@RobSnow-ui4sz]

@@JKDJack Don't take this wrong please but Probably is not a real answer. I could not gamble on a Probably..LOL

[@Moondoggy1941]

These are being made for a captive audience, complex owners that HAVE to retrofit their units to the new standard, these will be certified. So yes the price is important but meeting standards are just as important.

[@USA-GreedyMenOfNoIntegrity]

What is the noise level? No, a 220 lb package unit where I need a jet pack or a second muscle man helper to work on the outdoor section won’t fly.

[@ometofu]

hot and cool.. this is cutting edge. probably can't afford gen1

[@darrellmcever340]

$3,000 ?? Not gonna happen. it's a Window unit. Should cost twice the price of a standard AC window unit.

[@rancol23]

Calculate the savings on your heating and cooling electricity bill when using this heat pump versus the standard technology of a standard AC. Also, there might be rebates.

[@daniellewis1789]

If it's actually a maintainable appliance and not disposable, that puts the justifiable price up quite a bit. For a first generation product in limited run production, I think $3k is high but not absurd.

[@vcp93]

Might be worth it if it could heat/cool the whole apartment, but doesn't 9K BTU seem a bit under powered? Not sure one unit would cut the proverbial mustard.

[@daniellewis1789]

@@vcp93 450 square feet on the high end? It's enough if you're already covered by a small/medium window unit, probably.

[@Jon-hx7pe]

agreed, it is too much money when there at mini-split units at cost for half.

[@ernest111284]

I don’t know about this company. I called several times to their product knowledge line, and no one knew anything about this product. No one‘s giving any information about the release date or if it’s even something you can buy at this time. I wonder the price point. I think I’m just gonna go with the brand. Soleus air, usually accompanies customer service represents the product and this was pretty bad.

[@codeman5507]

Wow. I don’t even have $3000 to for this , and it is free for the housing projects. Let me guess! They have free WiFi and free cable too. Lol

[@Moondoggy1941]

For now Midea's achilles heal, they need vertical windows to work, 80% of houses in Ca. have slide windows. I am lucky I wanted vertical lift windows installed in my house, so I have a 12k unit to assist with my central air.

[@vcp93]

Hmmmm ....9K BTU? That is kinda weak. So you're going to need a couple of these units, minimum.

[@BTx789]

Too expensive

[@stalwart56k]

$3,000 per unit is chump change compared to pulling new wire and upgrading existing electrical service to handle central HVAC when the previous heating was a boiler. I'd love to have one of these for my home because it'd be way cheaper than replacing my current older heat pump and air handler.

[@dfakjdf35]

I can put a whole house heat pump in for less than one of these. Stupid.