Pipelife Ireland is launching a new indoor monoblock heat pump this July, designed from the ground up for the realities of Irish apartment construction rather than idealised lab conditions. The Inova indoor heat pump houses the fan, coil, compressor and expansion valve in a single unit installed entirely within the dwelling, drawing and exhausting air via ducts. It runs on R290 (propane), the ultra-low global warming potential refrigerant, with a fully sealed charge of just 450 grams, keeping it within the limits for indoor installation. Safety features include a gas separator to prevent refrigerant entering the water circuit, and an internal gas sensor that ramps the fan to 100 per cent to dissipate any leak to outside.
Testing to the limit
The detail likely to catch the eye of building services engineers is how the unit was tested. Pipelife says all of its published performance figures are predicated on the unit sitting 10 metres from an external wall, with three 90-degree bends in the ductwork. This represents a deliberately punishing worst-case scenario, and the company insists that if it can perform under these conditions, engineers can design to 10 metres with confidence. Eoghan Considine, Specification Manager of Pipelife Ireland, explained that architects are unlikely to place heat pumps on external walls due to daylight regulations, making the unit’s internal operation essential.
‘No developer will install a heat pump directly on an external wall—architects must juggle daylight requirements alongside other priorities, leaving no room for it,’ explained Eoghan Considine. He highlighted how competitors often rely on bench-tested fan data, which typically reflects ideal scenarios. ‘We pushed the unit to its limits—testing it under worst-case conditions rather than optimistic assumptions,’ he added. The Inova delivers 3.2 kW of heating power, integrates with a smartphone app, and meets EN 14825 standards, with additional EN 16147 certification for hot water efficiency.
Separate systems for longevity
The system is designed to work alongside a separate hot water cylinder, pre-installed at Pipelife’s Cork facility, with a streamlined inline version planned for future release that will appear as a single unit. This separation was a deliberate choice, according to Considine, since water cylinders often last longer than heat pumps. As a result, homeowners can replace individual components, like the fan or compressor, all accessible from the front, without disrupting plumbing or storage spaces. The design also simplifies installation in completed apartment blocks by reducing the need for bulky equipment. Unlike dual-function exhaust air heat pumps, the Inova focuses solely on heating, unaffected by warm exhaust air or open vents, ensuring consistent performance regardless of user behavior.
Manufacturing and service
The product launch builds on Pipelife’s extensive experience in the Irish market, where it has sold over 10,000 heat pumps since 2009, alongside rapid growth in mechanical ventilation. The Inova was engineered to the company’s exact specifications, drawing on its expertise in heat pumps, ventilation, Irish building codes, and F-gas regulations. It arrives as part of a broader sustainability initiative within Wienerberger’s Pipelife division, which operates manufacturing plants across 28 countries.
The Cork facility, formed by merging Quality Plastics, Cork Plastics, and MFP, processed 7,000 tonnes of recycled materials in 2025 and aims to triple that to 15,000 tonnes by 2030. The company has released seven environmental product declarations so far and plans to cover all products by 2028, with a group target that 75 per cent of products manufactured or sold support net zero construction. The company buys 100 per cent renewable electricity, with on-site solar generation planned.
