PTAC units compared: heat pump or electric heat, 208/230 or 265 volts

Heat pump or electric heat: PZH07K3SC or PZE07K3SC

Heat pump or electric heat: PZH12K3SC or PZE12K3SC

Heat pump or electric heat: PZH12R3SC or PZE12R3SC

208/230 or 265 volts: PZE09K3SC or PZE09R3SC

208/230 or 265 volts: PZE12K3SC or PZE12R3SC

208/230 or 265 volts: PZH12K3SC or PZH12R3SC

How much does a PTAC unit cost?

In stock right now, the PTACs we compare cost from $1,049 (the 7,200 BTU PZH07K3SC) to $1,359 (the 9,600 BTU PZE09R3SC). By size: 7,000 to 7,200 BTU from $1,049, 9,000 to 10,000 BTU from $1,099, 11,800 to 12,000 BTU from $1,129 and 14,500 BTU from $1,179. That is the unit alone: a new installation also needs a wall sleeve and an outdoor grille (Friedrich sells both separately) and a dedicated circuit, while a replacement slides into the sleeve already in the wall.

Should I get a PTAC with a heat pump or electric heat?

Usually the heat pump, if you heat for many hours. Friedrich ZoneAire Select (7,200 BTU heat pump and 7,000 BTU electric, 208/230 V): the heat pump PZH07K3SC is $1,049 and the electric-heat PZE07K3SC $1,079, so the electric version costs $30 more than the heat pump. Friedrich ZoneAire Select (12,000 BTU, 208/230 V): the heat pump PZH12K3SC is $1,129 and the electric-heat PZE12K3SC $1,159, so the electric version costs $30 more than the heat pump. Friedrich ZoneAire Select (12,000 BTU, 265 V): the heat pump PZH12R3SC is $1,269 and the electric-heat PZE12R3SC $1,219, so the electric version costs $50 less than the heat pump. To run, the heat pump is far cheaper: at its rating point the 12,000 BTU PZH12K3SC makes 10,400 BTU of heat from 895 W, about $0.17 an hour at the US average electricity price (18.44¢/kWh), while an electric heater turns each watt into 3.412 BTU, so the same heat takes about 3,048 W, about $0.56 an hour. A heat pump's output falls as it gets colder outside, and under the federal definition a PTAC heat pump also carries a supplementary heater for when it cannot keep up, which then costs as much to run as an electric unit's heat. Where heat is rarely needed, the electric version is simpler and sometimes cheaper to buy.

Do I need a 208/230-volt or a 265-volt PTAC?

The one your building supplies at the sleeve: a PTAC runs only on the supply it is built for, and the two use different plugs. 208/230-volt PTACs are the usual kind in apartments and homes (the ones here plug into NEMA 6-20P and NEMA 6-30P receptacles); 265-volt PTACs are made for commercial buildings such as hotels whose wiring supplies 265 volts (NEMA 7-20P). Read the voltage on the old unit's rating plate or the receptacle before you buy. Where one model is sold for both supplies, the 265-volt version costs $60 to $260 more (PZE09K3SC $1,099 against PZE09R3SC $1,359; PZE12K3SC $1,159 against PZE12R3SC $1,219; PZH12K3SC $1,129 against PZH12R3SC $1,269).

What size is a PTAC wall sleeve?

The standard PTAC sleeve is 42 inches wide and 16 inches high, and every PTAC here is made for one. Friedrich says its PTACs fit other makers' standard 42 x 16 in. sleeves without a baffle kit as long as the sleeve is no deeper than 13¾ inches; Amana says to check another maker's sleeve and grille with Amana first; Frigidaire's installation guide lists the other makers' sleeves its PTAC fits. Measure the inside of the old sleeve (width, height and depth) and read the old unit's model number before you buy.

What size PTAC do I need?

Match it to the room. The listings here state these rooms for each size: 7,000 to 7,200 BTU: up to 300 sq ft; 9,000 to 10,000 BTU: up to 300 to 450 sq ft; 11,800 to 12,000 BTU: up to 500 to 550 sq ft; 14,500 BTU: up to 650 to 800 sq ft. A very sunny room, a high ceiling or a kitchen needs more, so work out your room with the sizing calculator rather than buying the biggest unit: an oversized unit cools in short bursts and removes less humidity.

What EER should a PTAC have?

EER is the cooling a PTAC delivers per watt at full load, so higher uses less electricity, and federal rules (10 CFR 431.97) set a minimum for each size of standard 42 x 16 in. PTAC: 14.0 minus 0.3 for every 1,000 BTU, which is 11.9 at 7,000 BTU, 10.4 at 12,000 BTU and 9.5 at 15,000 BTU. Among the models in stock here, the 10,000 BTU PDE09K3SGR3 clears its minimum by the most: EER 12.5 against 11.0. We show an EER for the 11 of the 19 models whose retailer states it for that exact model.

Should I get a PTAC or a mini-split?

They install differently. A PTAC is one box that slides into a 42-inch wall sleeve and plugs into its own circuit, so where a sleeve is already there it is a like-for-like swap. A mini-split's indoor unit and outdoor unit are joined by refrigerant lines through the wall, and under EPA Section 608 connecting those lines is certified-technician work. In stock right now, the cheapest 12,000 BTU wall-mounted mini-split we compare is $817 (Senville Leto 12,000 BTU Mini Split Heat Pump 115V, equipment only) and the cheapest 12,000 BTU PTAC is $1,129 (PZH12K3SC). The two are rated on different scales (SEER2 and EER), so their ratings cannot be compared number for number.

Do I need a professional to install a PTAC?

Usually, yes. A PTAC installs in a wall sleeve with an outdoor grille and runs on its own dedicated circuit, so a new installation (the wall opening, sleeve, grille and wiring) is work for a contractor and an electrician. Swapping one into an existing PTAC sleeve with matching power is a simpler like-for-like replacement.