Ideal HP290 12.0kW Air Source Heat Pump

The Ideal HP290 12 kW is a monobloc air source heat pump. It produces 14 kW of heat from 3.111 kW of electricity at +7 °C air and 35 °C flow — a COP of 4.50 — and carries an A+++ ErP rating with a seasonal SCOP of 4.63.

About the Ideal HP290 range

The HP290 is Ideal's natural-refrigerant monobloc range. R290 is propane: it has zero ozone depletion potential and a global warming potential far below the R32 and R410A used in most heat pumps, and because it is a hydrocarbon rather than a fluorinated gas it sits outside the F-gas phase-down that is progressively restricting synthetic refrigerants.

Its thermodynamic properties also let the HP290 reach a 75 °C flow temperature — boiler territory. That is the reason to choose this range over the Logic Air: it can drive an existing radiator circuit at the temperatures those radiators were sized for, and reheat a cylinder to a stored hot water temperature without leaning on the immersion. For a retrofit where the emitters are already in place and replacing every radiator in the house is not on the table, that is the difference between a straightforward job and a re-pipe.

All six outputs are monobloc, so the entire refrigerant circuit is sealed inside the outdoor unit and the only things crossing the wall are water pipes and cable. No refrigerant handling qualification is needed to install one, and there is no indoor unit taking up cupboard space.

Why installers specify this heat pump

• COP of 4.50 at A7/W35 — 4.50 kW of heat for every kilowatt of electricity at +7 °C air and 35 °C flow, tested to EN 14511.
• SCOP 4.63, ErP class A+++ — the seasonal figure, averaged across a full heating season to EN 14825, at 35 °C flow. At 55 °C flow it is 3.61 and class A++.
• 11.5 kW still available at −7 °C — output is quoted at the cold design condition, not just the flattering one, so a heat loss calculation can be checked against it.
• Flow temperatures to 75 °C — high enough to run an existing radiator circuit without resizing every emitter.
• R290 natural refrigerant — zero ozone depletion potential, very low global warming potential, and outside the F-gas phase-down.
• Operates from −25 °C to +46 °C ambient — far below the −1 °C to −5 °C winter design temperatures used to size a UK system.
• Inverter-driven twin rotary compressor — the unit modulates its output to the demand instead of cycling on and off, which is where the seasonal efficiency comes from.
• Weather compensating controls, smart grid and solar PV ready — flow temperature tracks outside temperature, and the unit can take a signal to run on surplus PV generation or off-peak electricity.
• MCS certified — eligible for Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding through an MCS accredited installer.

Heating performance

Heat output, power input and COP are measured to EN 14511. ‘A7/W35’ means 7 °C outdoor air into a 35 °C water flow: the colder the air and the hotter the flow, the harder the heat pump works and the lower the COP. Comparing two heat pumps only means something at the same operating point.

Seasonal efficiency (EN 14825)

SCOP is the figure that decides running cost: it averages performance across a whole heating season rather than at one temperature. The 35 °C column applies to underfloor heating and oversized radiators, the 55 °C column to a conventional radiator circuit.

Sound

Sound power is the total emitted by the unit under laboratory conditions and is the figure on the ErP label; sound pressure is what is actually heard at a distance, and is always the lower number. Planning permitted development rules for a domestic heat pump are assessed on sound pressure at the nearest habitable building.

Hydraulic requirements

Available pump head is what is left after the appliance's own losses at the design flow rate, on pure water. The minimum open system volume is the volume that must stay open to the heat pump for defrost cycles — radiators behind TRVs and underfloor manifolds behind actuators do not count towards it, which is why a buffer or volumiser is usually required.

Electrical supply

Single phase throughout the range — no three phase supply is needed on any output. Final circuit design remains the installer's responsibility; the Installation & Servicing manual in the Documents tab below carries the full requirements.

Unit and refrigerant

Certification and scheme references

The PCDB index numbers identify this model in the Product Characteristics Database, which is what SAP and MCS design software reads to calculate the property's EPC and running costs. The ENA Connect Direct reference is the one an installer quotes on a G98 or G99 notification to the network operator.

Sizing this heat pump

The right output is set by a room-by-room heat loss calculation to BS EN 12831 and MCS 3005, not by the floor area or by the size of the boiler being replaced. What matters when checking a calculation against this unit is what it delivers at the cold design condition, and those figures are published: 11.5 kW at −7 °C air into a 35 °C flow, or 11.3 kW into a 55 °C flow. At the milder +7 °C condition it produces 14 kW.

Because the compressor is inverter driven, an output slightly above the calculated heat loss is not wasted — the unit modulates down. Substantially oversizing it is the expensive mistake: a heat pump forced to cycle spends its life outside the conditions the 4.63 SCOP was measured at. The system also needs at least 40 litres of volume open to the heat pump for defrost, which on most retrofits means a buffer or a volumiser.

Warranty

Up to 5 years parts and labour, available when the installation is registered with Ideal Heating within 30 days and the heat pump is serviced annually by a competent heat pump engineer. The warranty is fulfilled by Ideal's own UK engineers rather than a third party. Ideal's terms and conditions apply.

About Ideal Heating

Ideal Heating has manufactured domestic heating in Hull since 1906 and is one of the largest boiler makers in the UK. Its heat pumps are supported by a UK contact centre open 364 days a year and a nationwide field engineer network, and the company runs its own BPEC and City & Guilds accredited training centres for installers. Both heat pump ranges are MCS certified, which is what allows an accredited installer to sign the installation off and to apply for Boiler Upgrade Scheme funding on the customer's behalf.

Complete the system

A monobloc heat pump provides the heat; these carry it into the property. Ideal's pre-plumbed cylinders arrive with the hydraulics and the control box already fitted and wired, which is the single biggest saving on installation time:

• Hot water — Ideal HP290 DHW Pre-Plumbed Cylinder 150L 1 Zone, Ideal HP290 DHW Pre-Plumbed Slimline Cylinder 150L 1 Zone, Ideal HP290 DHW Pre-Plumbed Cylinder 180L 1 Zone and the rest of the cylinders
• Standalone control box — Ideal Control Box for HP290 — only needed if you are not fitting a pre-plumbed cylinder

Additional suggested items

Ordered with almost every heat pump:

• Ideal Halo Lite RF for HP290 — the room thermostat for the HP290
• Ideal HP290 Anti-Vibration Rubber Mounting Feet — raises the unit clear of defrost meltwater and decouples vibration
• Ideal Magnetic Filter — captures the magnetite a strainer cannot, protecting the plate heat exchanger

Datasheets, the Installation & Servicing manual, power charts, schematics and the MCS certificate for the Ideal HP290 12 kW are in the Documents tab below. Specifying a full system, or buying for a project? Contact our sales team at sales@clearraysolar.com.