Twelve 7.1 kW units from the three brands, costed from their GEMS figures at the Sydney median rate: $561 to $656 a year. The three brands are $18 apart at their lowest; Daikin alone spans $92. Same five-year warranty, same conditions. What the documents say, model by model.
Twelve 7 kW units, one label, one rate
All 12 models from the three brands, lowest to highest
| Model | Stars (cool / heat) | kWh a year | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daikin Premium Inverter Ducted 7.1kW | 3 / 2.5 | 1,606 | $464 |
| Daikin Lite 7.1kW | 3 / 2.5 | 1,714 | $495 |
| Daikin Slimline Ducted 7.1kW | 2 / 2.5 | 1,804 | $521 |
| Daikin Inverter Ducted 7.1kW | 2 / 2 | 1,835 | $530 |
| Daikin Skywall 7.1kW | 2 / 2 | 1,867 | $540 |
| Mitsubishi Electric MSZ-AP 7.1kW | 3 / 2.5 | 1,647 | $476 |
| Mitsubishi Electric SEZ-M 7.1kW | 2.5 / 2.5 | 1,724 | $498 |
| Mitsubishi Electric PEAD Ducted 7.1kW | 2.5 / 2.5 | 1,762 | $509 |
| Fujitsu Comfort 7.1kW | 3 / 2.5 | 1,598 | $462 |
| Fujitsu Lifestyle 7.1kW | 3.5 / 2.5 | 1,627 | $470 |
| Fujitsu High Static 7.1kW | 3 / 2.5 | 1,708 | $494 |
| Fujitsu Mid Static Slimline Ducted 7.1kW | 2.5 / 2 | 1,785 | $516 |
Put Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Fujitsu General side by side at one size, 7.1 kW, and the label does more of the deciding than the badge. We install twelve 7.1 kW reverse-cycle units from the three: five wall splits, six ducted and one bulkhead.
Each one carries an official GEMS registration with its annual cooling and heating energy for the average climate zone, which is Sydney's. We use those figures, synced 9 June 2026, costed at the Sydney median usage rate of 35.13 cents per kWh across 170 Ausgrid plans, the same sum as every model page on this site.
Across the twelve, that is $561 to $656 a year, and three numbers carry the post:
- the three brands' lowest units are $18 apart (1,598 to 1,647 kWh)
- Daikin's own range spans $92 (1,606 to 1,867 kWh)
- none of the three holds the lowest figure at this size: Carrier's QSM ducted does, at $528
The brand settles less than the model.
One name to clear up first. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a separate company from Mitsubishi Electric, with its own range and its own brochure; its Bronte 7.1 kW wall split is registered at 1,577 kWh. This post is about Mitsubishi Electric.
Wall splits: $561 to $656 a year
Five wall-mounted 7.1 kW units, in order of their registered annual energy, costed at the Sydney median rate.
| Model | Stars, cooling / heating | kWh a year | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujitsu Comfort ASTH24KNTA | 3 / 2.5 | 1,598 | $561 |
| Fujitsu Lifestyle ASTG24KMTC | 3.5 / 2.5 | 1,627 | $572 |
| Mitsubishi Electric MSZ-AP71 | 3 / 2.5 | 1,647 | $579 |
| Daikin Lite FTXF71 | 3 / 2.5 | 1,714 | $602 |
| Daikin Skywall FTXC71 | 2 / 2 | 1,867 | $656 |
The first three sit within $18 of each other. The gap opens inside Daikin's own range: the Lite and the Skywall are $54 apart at the same capacity, and the Skywall is the only one of the five below three cooling stars.
Fujitsu's two swap places depending on which row you read. The Lifestyle has the higher cooling rating, 3.5 stars against 3, and the Comfort the lower annual total, because it registers 46 kWh less for heating.
The manufacturers' own tables add what the label leaves out: how far each unit can throttle down on a mild day and up on a hot one, in cooling.
- Fujitsu Lifestyle: 1.1 to 8.3 kW
- Daikin Lite: 2.0 to 7.5 kW
- Mitsubishi Electric MSZ-AP71: 2.0 to 8.7 kW
So the Fujitsu can run lowest and the Mitsubishi highest.
Ducted: the gap inside one brand is the bigger one
Six ducted 7.1 kW units, same order.
| Model | Stars, cooling / heating | kWh a year | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daikin Premium Inverter FDYA71 | 3 / 2.5 | 1,606 | $564 |
| Fujitsu High Static ARTH24KHTA | 3 / 2.5 | 1,708 | $600 |
| Mitsubishi Electric PEAD-M71 | 2.5 / 2.5 | 1,762 | $619 |
| Fujitsu Mid Static ARTH24KMTAP | 2.5 / 2 | 1,785 | $627 |
| Daikin Slimline FBA71 | 2 / 2.5 | 1,804 | $634 |
| Daikin Inverter FDYAN71 | 2 / 2 | 1,835 | $645 |
Daikin holds both ends: $81 a year between its Premium Inverter and its standard Inverter at the same capacity. The brochure shows why. Both deliver 7.1 kW of cooling, but the Premium draws a rated 1.90 kW of power to do it against the Inverter's 2.20 kW, and its outdoor unit weighs 69 kg against 45.
Mitsubishi Electric's bulkhead, the SEZ-M71 that sits in a ceiling or under a bench, is registered at 1,724 kWh, $606, between the two Fujitsu ducted units.
Static pressure is the ducted figure the label leaves out, and it decides how much duct a unit can push air through. From the manufacturers' specifications:
- Fujitsu High Static: 60 to 210 Pa
- Fujitsu Mid Static: 50 to 150 Pa
- Mitsubishi Electric PEAD-M71: switchable, 35 to 125 Pa
Warranty: five years from all three, on the same conditions
- On you, in both cards
- Clean the filters, replace them when needed
- Keep the outdoor unit's inlet and outlet clear of dirt, leaves and plants
- Keep the condensate drain clean
- Replace the remote's batteries
- Add corrosion protection near the sea or industry
- Not covered by either
- Incorrect or poor installation
- Faulty external wiring or power supply
- Travel outside the normally serviced area
- Access to unsafe or high locations
- A unit moved to a caravan or boat
All three carry the same headline: five years, parts and labour, for a unit installed in a home. Daikin's warranty card lists split, multi and Sky products at five years parts and labour; its FAQ applies the domestic warranty to units installed in homes across Australia.
Mitsubishi Electric's brochures state a full five-year parts and labour warranty in residential applications. Fujitsu General's card gives five years parts and labour from the date the original owner bought the unit.
The conditions are alike too. Daikin's and Fujitsu's cards both make you responsible for cleaning the filters, keeping the outdoor unit's inlet and outlet clear of dirt, leaves and plants, keeping the condensate drain clean, replacing remote batteries and adding corrosion protection near the sea or industry.
Both exclude faults from incorrect or poor installation and from faulty external wiring, and both leave travel outside the normally serviced area, and access to unsafe or high locations, to the owner. Mitsubishi Electric's brochures put it in one line: suitable access for warranty and service is required.
So the warranty does not separate the three. What it does is put the installation on the installer and the upkeep on you. A deep cleaning covers the coil and drain work; the filters are yours, and Mitsubishi Electric's MSZ-AP manual asks for them every two weeks.
What the label does not settle
Noise and size come from each brand's own tables, for the units those tables cover. The brands measure sound under different conditions (Daikin at 1.5 metres, Mitsubishi Electric's ducted at one metre), so compare within a brand rather than across.
| Unit | Indoor sound, low to high | Indoor unit, height and weight | Outdoor unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujitsu Lifestyle ASTG24KMTC | 29 to 49 dBA | 280 mm, 12.5 kg | 42 kg |
| Daikin Lite FTXF71 | 30 to 49 dBA | 295 mm, 13 kg | 54 kg |
| Mitsubishi Electric MSZ-AP71 | 30 to 49 dBA | 325 mm, 17 kg | 53 kg |
| Fujitsu Mid Static ARTH24KMTAP, ducted | 27 to 38 dBA | 240 mm, 32 kg | 42 kg |
| Mitsubishi Electric PEAD-M71, ducted | 30 to 39 dBA | 250 mm, 30 kg | 55 kg |
| Daikin Inverter FDYAN71, ducted | 37.3 dBA on high | 300 mm, 40 kg | 45 kg |
| Daikin Premium Inverter FDYA71, ducted | 37.3 dBA on high | 300 mm, 40 kg | 69 kg |
| Fujitsu High Static ARTH24KHTA, ducted | 27 to 34 dBA | 400 mm, 38 kg | 42 kg |
On a wall, 45 mm of height and 4.5 kg separate the three splits. In a roof, the ducted units run from 240 to 400 mm high, which is the figure that decides whether one fits above a low ceiling.
The outdoor units run from 42 kg to 69 kg, which is why a quote asks for a photo of where it will sit.
How to choose between them
Start with the size, not the brand. The calculator works the capacity out from six questions. At 7 kW the field is 29 rated models across every brand we install, 1,503 to 1,870 kWh a year, and none of the three here holds the lowest figure: Carrier's QSM ducted, TCL's T-Pro and ActronAir's Serene sit at 1,503 to 1,520 kWh.
Then pick the indoor unit the room needs, wall, ducted or bulkhead, and read the annual figure on each model page or put two side by side in compare. Within a brand that figure moves by up to $92 a year at the same capacity; across the three brands' lowest options it moves by $18.
Only then does the badge come in, and it is a fair tie-breaker: the same five-year cover, R32 refrigerant in all twelve, and each brand's own controllers, apps and filters, which the Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Fujitsu pages cover. What a star is worth explains the sum behind every figure above.
When you are down to two, send the photos: the wall or ceiling, the outdoor unit's spot and the switchboard. That is what turns a model choice into an installed price, and the installation is the one thing all three warranty cards agree is not theirs.
Sources
- GEMS registered air conditioners dataset (E3 program), data.gov.au, CC BY 3.0: the star ratings and annual kWh for every model named, synced 9 June 2026
- Energy Made Easy, the AER's plan data: the median usage rate across 170 Ausgrid plans, June 2026
- Daikin Ducted brochure and Daikin Lite Series flyer, on our manuals and brochures page: the FDYA71, FDYAN71 and FTXF71 tables (capacity range, power input, sound, dimensions, weight)
- Daikin Manufacturer's Warranty card and Daikin's warranty FAQ: the five-year terms, exclusions and owner's responsibilities
- Mitsubishi Electric Split Systems brochure 2025, Mr Slim brochure 2025 and the MSZ-AP operating manual, on our manuals and brochures page: the MSZ-AP71 and PEAD-M71 tables, the warranty statement, the access line, the two-week filter clean
- Fujitsu General warranty cards: the domestic card's five years parts and labour, exclusions and owner's responsibilities
- Fujitsu ASTG24KMTC / AOTG24KMTC technical manual, the ARTH24KHTA specifications, the ARTH24KMTAP specifications and the wall-hung system combinations: capacity ranges, input power, sound, static pressure, dimensions, the Comfort ASTH24KNTA set
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries split systems brochure, on our manuals and brochures page: issued by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia
- Our catalogue under systems: the 29 rated models at 7 kW and each model's annual cost from the same two sources, 29 August 2026
