Pipelife Ireland is launching a new indoor monoblock heat pump this July, designed from the ground up for Irish apartment construction. 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.
The unit runs on R290 (propane), an 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 and Performance
Pipelife’s published performance figures are predicated on the unit sitting 10 meters from an external wall, with three 90-degree bends in the ductwork, a deliberately punishing worst-case scenario. The unit delivers 3.2 kW of heating capacity, is app-enabled, and is tested to EN 14825, with EN 16147 hot water performance data also available.
It pairs with a separate hot water cylinder, pre-plumbed at Pipelife’s Little Island facility in Cork. Keeping the cylinder separate was a conscious whole-life decision, allowing the heat pump or its components to be replaced without disturbing the store.
Design and Features
Unlike exhaust air heat pumps, the Inova makes no attempt to combine heating and ventilation. Pipelife instead pairs the unit with its own MEV or MVHR systems, supplied as complete packages including ductwork.
Sustainability and Experience
Pipelife has been supplying heat pumps in Ireland since 2009, with over 10,000 units sold. The Inova was developed to Pipelife’s own specification with its manufacturing partner, informed by the company’s knowledge of heat pumps, ventilation, Irish apartment design guidelines, and F-gas regulations.
The heat pump’s release coincides with broader sustainability efforts by Pipelife, part of Wienerberger’s global operations. The Cork plant used 7,000 tonnes of recycled materials in 2025, with plans to increase that to 15,000 tonnes by 2030. The company has published seven environmental product declarations to date, buys 100 per cent renewable electricity, and has on-site solar generation planned. Servicing of the Inova is carried out entirely from within the apartment, supported by installer training and a dedicated homeowner manual.
