Mitsubishi Electric PEA-M180LAA
VerifiedMPN: PEA-M180LAA1 review
Impressed by the new Mitsubishi Electric model – I was intending to get MHI 20kW unit but my installer pointed out that it would cost an extra $1800 for the pipework due to the specifications and it was too big to fit in my roof. He mentioned that the new ME range looked very good on paper, so I did my homework and settled on the new ME 18kW unit. This turned out to be a great decision, it's been operational now for a week and I am very impressed!
Firstly the outside noise is remarkably low. When my wife came home after it had been running for a couple of hours for damper testing etc, I walked her up to the unit and she felt the breeze from the fans about the same time she heard it was working. I have since been able to turn it on in the wee hours without waking her - the outside unit is just outside the bedroom. Even when it's working hard the noise level is remarkably good.
On paper, this also has the lowest indoor noise levels of the units I looked at, and 4 speeds though I am not sure that the AirTouch 5 controller knows that. The specs for COP and EER are also very good and the low power consumption while the unit is running back that up.
The unit starts gently and slowly ramps up to get the temperature to the desired point then gently ramps down to just maintain the temperature.
The weather has been mostly middling so not a real test, I plan to update this review once summer kicks in for real.
Another update Jan 8, 2026. With the current heatwave I left the unit running all night - first time ever for any AC I have had. It just cruised through the night keeping the entire house at set temperature and the whole house load was consistent at 1.3kW all night leaving the solar battery at 35.2% at the time the solar power was enough to start charging again.
As you can tell, I am so pleased with this unit.
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Update: I am impressed by how much this unit can ramp down, ie reduce it's power draw as it gets the house temperature stable. While I can't measure the AC directly, I can monitor the whole house and right now the total house load is around 1.3kW with the AC running and cooling. Subtract 450-700 Watts for the rest of the house - fridges, freezer, PCs etc and the AC is being very frugal!