Samsung EHS Mono R290 heat pump: models and specifications

A Samsung EHS Mono R290 is a monobloc air source heat pump: one outdoor unit, no refrigerant pipework running into the house, and propane (R290) as the refrigerant rather than a fluorinated gas. Samsung's own product pages describe the EHS Mono HT family as "Type: Mono", and the range is sold in single phase and three phase versions¹. The published figures cover 8 kW, 12 kW and 14 kW outdoor units³.

The headline numbers are what make it interesting for older UK housing. The units are stated to achieve hot water temperatures of up to 70°C, with one page tying that to outdoor temperatures between -15°C and 43°C, and to keep working down to -25°C outside⁴. That is a flow temperature in the range a radiator system designed around a gas boiler can often use without being rebuilt.

What follows is what the published specifications actually say, where they disagree, and what the unit still leaves a household dependent on.

What the EHS Mono R290 is, and what monobloc means

The EHS Mono is a monobloc, which is the configuration most R290 heat pumps now use. All the refrigeration equipment sits in the outdoor unit, and the only thing crossing the wall is water pipework. LG describes the same arrangement for its Therma V R290 as "a monobloc concept, it is connected by only water piping eliminating the need for refrigerant piping"⁷. That matters for two reasons: no refrigerant handling inside the house, and a simpler installation route.

Samsung's pages confirm the type as "Mono" across the single phase and three phase models, and describe the units as easy to install, "simple to set up and maintain with easy side panel access"¹. Heating performance figures are stated as internally tested under lab conditions based on EN 14511, which is the standard test basis rather than a field measurement¹.

The refrigerant is the other defining feature. Samsung's launch material for the EHS Mono R290 describes it as "equipped with Propane (R290), a natural refrigerant with a lower global warming potential (GWP)"⁵. Propane is flammable, which is why monobloc units carry charge limits and siting rules, and why installation is a competent-person job. The trade-off is a refrigerant with a very low climate impact compared with the fluorinated gases it replaces.

The range: 8, 12 and 14 kW, single and three phase

The published figures cover three output sizes. The 8 kW unit appears as the AE080BXYDEG, the 12 kW as the AE120BXYDEG in single phase and AE120BXYDGG in three phase, and the 14 kW as the AE140BXYDEG in single phase and AE140BXYDGG in three phase³. Samsung's own brand listing names the AE140BXYDEG as a single phase model⁹.

The single phase and three phase split is not cosmetic. A three phase supply is not present in most UK homes, and where a larger unit is wanted on a single phase supply the electrical capacity of the house becomes the limiting factor. That is a question for the installer's survey rather than the specification sheet.

For context on how this compares with the rest of the market, the LG Therma V R290 monobloc range is described as "4 sizes from 9 to 16 kW"¹⁰, so Samsung's published 8 to 14 kW spread sits slightly lower at the top end. The monobloc and split heat pumps comparison explains why the monobloc layout dominates this refrigerant.

Key specifications: 70°C water, low noise and unit sizes

The temperature figures are the strongest part of the published specification. Samsung's pages state hot water temperatures of up to 70°C across the EHS Mono HT models, with the 8 kW page adding the operating window: "up to 70 °C Leaving water temperature, when the outdoor temperature is between -15°C - 43°C"⁴. The same family is described as capable of "reliably providing 100% heating performance even in extremely cold weather (temperatures as low as -25°C)"⁴.

There is a conflict in the published figures on the top temperature. One Samsung page quotes up to 75°C, while the pages carrying the operating window quote 70°C. The two are not reconciled, so the 70°C figure is the one with a stated outdoor temperature range attached.

On noise, Samsung describes the three phase 12 kW unit as having a "Low Noise sound level: powered by a combination of innovative noise reducing technologies"⁸. The measurement basis matters more than the adjective: Samsung states that "the noise level is measured 3m away from the front of the outdoor unit, in an anechoic room with an outside temperature of 7°C"¹. An anechoic chamber is not a street, and 3 metres from the front is not a neighbour's bedroom window.

For scale, other R290 units in the same class publish 36 dB(A) for a 6 kW Trianco Activair Pro, 38 dB(A) for its 12 kW and 39 dB(A) for its 17 kW¹¹, while an LG 16 kW monobloc is listed at a sound power level of 49 dB(A) for 12 kW models¹⁰. Sound pressure at a distance and sound power are different measurements, so those numbers are not directly comparable with each other.

R290 refrigerant and why a GWP of 3 matters

R290 is propane, and its global warming potential is 3. That figure appears repeatedly across the R290 monobloc market: LG lists "low GWP (GWP 3)" for its Therma V R290 range¹⁰, and Midea lists "R290 GWP 3" for its MHC-V8WD2N7-B and MHC-V8WD2RN7-B units¹². The number is a multiplier against carbon dioxide, so a GWP of 3 means a leak of one kilogram of refrigerant is equivalent to three kilograms of CO2.

The policy context is a phase-down of the fluorinated gases that R290 replaces. A government consultation on F-gas regulation in Great Britain notes that "the majority of these may use R290 (propane)" when describing hydronic monobloc heat pumps, and states that R290 "is suitable for both very small applications where charge size can be limited ... and large applications where access allows"¹³. That is the regulatory direction of travel, and it is why nearly every new monobloc in this class runs on propane.

The practical consequence for a household is a smaller climate footprint if the refrigerant ever escapes, and no dependence on a fluorinated gas supply chain that is being deliberately constrained. The trade-off is the flammability, which is managed through charge limits and siting rather than through the householder doing anything. The heat pump refrigerants page covers how R290, R32 and the F-gas rules compare.

Radiator compatibility: high flow temperatures for older homes

A 70°C flow temperature is the figure that decides whether an existing radiator system can stay as it is. Heat pumps are usually described as low-temperature appliances, and the reason is efficiency: the lower the flow temperature, the better the coefficient of performance. A unit that can reach 70°C can serve a radiator system sized for a gas boiler, but it will not do so at its best efficiency.

The comparison across the R290 market is useful here. LG's Therma V R290 monoblocs are listed with a maximum flow temperature of up to 75°C⁷, a Mitsubishi Ecodan R290 is stated to "efficiently achieve high water temperatures up to 75°C"¹⁴, and a SolaX STU1-C08R290 lists a maximum heating water temperature of 80°C¹⁵. Samsung's 70°C sits at the lower end of that group but within the same band.

What this means in practice is that a well-insulated home with oversized radiators will run the unit at a much lower flow temperature and get better efficiency, while a leaky period property may need the higher end of the range. The radiators and emitters page sets out how emitter sizing interacts with flow temperature, and the high-temperature heat pumps page covers the category as a whole.

Smart control: SmartThings Energy and what it needs

Samsung's smart control runs through SmartThings, and the pattern is the same as every other app-controlled heat pump: the appliance, a control, a home network and the manufacturer's platform. The published figures for this model do not name a specific Wi-Fi kit, so the exact gateway part cannot be confirmed from them.

What the wider market shows is the shape of the requirement. SolaX R290 units are listed with "Smart app control and remote monitoring" and support for heating, cooling and domestic hot water control¹⁶, and Dimplex states for its Quantum range that "you will need compatible heaters, a smart phone, home Wi-Fi and a Dimplex Hub"¹⁹. The hub is the piece that connects the heating to the internet, and without it the system still heats the house but cannot be scheduled from outside it.

There is a regulatory dimension. Parliament's research on energy smart appliances describes regulations "requiring energy smart appliances to meet requirements regarding cyber security, data privacy, interoperability, and grid stability"²⁰. That is the direction for new heating controls, and it is why interoperability and data handling are now part of the specification conversation rather than an afterthought.

The independence question is straightforward. Local control at the unit and at a wired programmer keeps working when the broadband drops. Remote scheduling, energy monitoring and remote diagnostics do not. That is a dependence on a home internet connection, Samsung's servers and Samsung's app, and it is the clearest external tie the product creates beyond the electricity supply itself.

Where it fits in the UK market: installers and training

Samsung sells the EHS Mono HT through its UK climate solutions channel, with product pages hosted on the GB site⁴. Availability is stated for the UK market, though several R290 products in this class carry the caveat that they "may only be available in specific regions", so local availability is worth checking rather than assuming¹⁰.

The installer side has been built out deliberately. Samsung Climate Solutions announced its own training centre in Manchester in November 2024, and opened a further facility in Chertsey, Surrey, in October 2025 to train installers in the south⁵. In the same month, Colchester Institute launched a £250,000 Net Zero and Renewables Training Centre with donated technology from Samsung Climate Solutions⁵. Training capacity is not the same as installed base, but it is the pipeline that determines how many competent installers a household can actually reach.

For grant-funded work, the installer requirement is the binding one. To be eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, "installers must be MCS certified and meet the MCS standards"¹⁹, and the scheme pays £5,000 towards an air source heat pump⁶. The scheme's published rules do not list individual models, so eligibility is assessed on the installation and the installer rather than on the unit. The heat pump grants page covers the four nations, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme rules apply in England and Wales.

What owning one means for household energy independence

A heat pump changes what a home depends on. It removes the gas connection and the gas supplier from the heating and hot water side of the household budget, and replaces them with electricity. That is a real shift in sovereignty: the fuel is no longer a piped fossil gas whose price is set internationally, and a home with solar panels and a battery can supply part of its own heating.

What remains is the electricity supply. The unit needs a grid connection, a supplier and, for the larger three phase models, a supply capacity that many UK homes do not have. The smart control layer adds a dependence on broadband and on Samsung's platform. The refrigerant is propane, which is not a supply chain a household depends on in the way it depends on F-gas, but the unit itself is a Samsung product with Samsung's parts and service network behind it.

The monitoring side is worth noting. A smart meter with an in-home display "allows you to monitor your energy usage and spending"²², and that is the practical tool for seeing what a heat pump does to a household's consumption pattern. Without it, the shift from gas to electricity is invisible until the bill arrives.

The honest summary is that this unit moves a home off gas and onto electricity, with a high enough flow temperature to work with existing radiators in many cases. It does not make a home self-sufficient. It makes the fuel choice simpler and the dependence narrower, and the heat pumps and energy independence page sets out the wider picture.