Gebwell, a Finnish manufacturer of district heating substations and heat pumps, has released a ground-source-water-to-water propane (R290) heat pump to the European market, available in 40 and 120kW (11.4 and 34.1TR) heating capacity models.
G-Eco Core 40 and G-Eco Pro 120, represent the first-ever R290 heat pumps produced by Gebwell, Aku Leskinen, the company’s Product Manager of Heat Pumps and Accumulators, told NaturalRefrigerants.com at the ISH 2025 tradeshow. The products, manufactured in Lahti, were launched to the Finnish market late last year. Leskinen indicates that Gebwell has already built “a couple dozen” units.
“As a Scandinavian company with frigid winters, we get good efficiency with geothermal heat recovery solutions,” said Leskinen. “We can combine up to 12 units in a cascade to provide heating capacities up to 1.4MW [400TR].”
“Using inlet water temperatures ranging from −5 to 20°C [23 to 68°F], we can produce outlet temperatures up to 75°C [167°F] with the 40kW unit and up to 63°C [145°F] with the 120KW product,” he said. Both units incorporate inverter technology and continuous ventilation and leak detection sensors to handle the A3 refrigerant safely.
G-Eco Core 40: With a propane charge of 1.8kg, the 40kW unit provides an SCOP of up to 3.9 at an outlet temperature of 35°C (95°F) and 3.2 at 55°C (131°F), with a frequency-controlled scroll compressor.
G-Eco Pro 120: With a propane charge of 4.7kg, the 120kW unit provides an SCOP of up to 4.3 at an outlet temperature of 35°C and 3.4 at 55°C, with a piston compressor.
Other products: At ISH 2025, several manufacturers showcased new R290 heat pumps, including Japanese Daikin and Italian-based Rhoss. However, the propane products highlighted were predominantly air-source units.
- “We are proud to be one of the few manufacturers offering water-to-water R290 heat pumps, and we want to expand our market,” Leskinen said.
Quotable: “People are eager to learn more about these units,” Leskinen said. “Designers and consultants want to try new technologies and build water-to-water systems using an R290 future-proof solution.”
“We are proud to be one of the few manufacturers offering water-to-water R290 heat pumps.”
Aku Leskinen, Product Manager of Heat Pumps and Accumulators at Gebwell
