Wondrwall Group, a U.K. technology company, has launched an AI-enabled propane (R290) residential air source heat pump on the U.K. market, working in partnership with Daikin Air Conditioning UK, a subsidiary of Daikin Europe.
Integrating the Daikin R290 unit with the company’s AI-powered Home Energy Management System (HEMS) cuts home energy heating bills by up to 80% compared to similar homes with standalone heat pumps, according to Wondrwall.
“This [R290] monobloc air source heat pump redefines low-carbon heating efficiency by reducing energy consumption, lowering running costs, and supporting grid flexibility,” Wondrwall said.
Heat pump/platform details: The unit comes in two heating capacity sizes: 6 and 8kW (1.7 and 2.3TR).
- The AI-driven HEMS optimizes heating performance through automated predictive functionality based on validated technology to train the solution in 15 homes, according to Wondrwall.
- The controls account for the home’s occupancy, heat loss and the local weather forecast. It shifts energy demand for heating to cheaper renewable sources or off-peak electricity when possible.
- “Wondrwall is committed to developing the products and services needed to scale the rollout of carbon net-zero technology,” said Daniel Burton, CEO of Wondrwall Group.
HEMS availability: Besides the heat pump launch, Wondrwall is making its HEMS platform available to manufacturers.
- “For the first time, we are opening the Wondrwall system to heat pump manufacturers, allowing all to benefit from [its] energy-saving potential,” said Burton.
Government grant: Wondrwall received a £452,000 (€450,000/$428,000) grant in the spring of 2024 from the U.K. Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to develop the unit in partnership with Daikin.
- The grant comes from the country’s Heat Pump Ready Program: Steam 2 Projects.
- In July 2023, the U.K. government announced a target of installing 600,000 residential heat pumps annually starting in 2028.
Other manufacturers: Besides Daikin – which announced it would launch its first R290 residential heat pump in the fall of 2024 – several other manufacturers have propane units available in the U.K.
- In March, Aira, a Swedish home energy company, launched a propane residential air-to-water heat pump in the European market, including Germany, Italy and the U.K.
- In November 2023, Netherlands-based manufacturer Samsung Electronics Air Conditioner Europe launched its EHS Mono R290 heat pump in the U.K. as a replacement for domestic gas boilers.
- In May 2022, German manufacturer Viessmann Group launched wall-mounted and floor-standing R290 heat pumps for new and existing UK homes.
Quotable: “Taking part in Heat Pump Ready has created the opportunity to develop the world’s most intelligent heat pump solution,” said Mark Lufkin, Technical Sales Director at Wondrwall Group. “One that will reduce running costs, grid load and enable the technology to be deployed at scale.”
“This [R290] monobloc air source heat pump redefines low-carbon heating efficiency by reducing energy consumption, lowering running costs, and supporting grid flexibility.”
Wondrwall
