Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions launched the Aquarea Hybrid Eco+ Heat Pump on 22 April 2022, a hybrid system the company says can be connected to any traditional fossil fuelled boiler system and help existing UK housing stock reduce carbon emissions by up to 80%1.
The unit is a hybrid heat pump, meaning it works with a boiler rather than replacing it. Panasonic states that the heat pump extracts its latent heat from the outside air, and that the original boiler is only activated when it is more economical than the heat pump in colder weather or when producing domestic hot water1. The company describes the product as an attractive alternative for existing property owners with a long life still left on their fossil fuelled boiler system1.
Panasonic says all the main components sit within the outside unit, that the system has been tested and provides one of the lowest sound ratings on the market, and that it uses plug and play technology with an expansion vessel, an "A" rated circulating pump, extensive controls and a dirt filter1. It also states that the system can help increase a property's EPC rating, and that running cost savings can be achieved1. No purchase price, installation cost, efficiency figure in numbers, or confirmed list of eligible UK grant schemes appears in the announcement1.
Controls are handled through the Aquarea Smart Cloud, which Panasonic says lets property owners or facilities managers view and monitor system status remotely, adjust it, and see performance and energy statistics. Installers or service companies can support the system remotely through the Panasonic Service Cloud App, which the company says reduces costly maintenance visits1.
"In the future, when the gas boiler may no longer be required or at the end of its life, making the switch to a full low carbon Aquarea air source heat pump system will be an easy decision and simple upgrade"
The Aquarea Hybrid Eco+ joins the wider Panasonic Aquarea air source range, and Panasonic is one of several heat pump manufacturers supplying UK homes.
Why it matters for households
A hybrid system leaves the gas boiler in place and adds an air source heat pump alongside it, so a home can run on the heat pump for much of the year and fall back to gas when the heat pump is less economical. For a household, that changes the shape of the decision: it is not a full replacement of the existing heating system, and the boiler's remaining service life is not written off. The trade-off is that the home still depends on a fossil fuel supply for part of its heating, so it does not reach full independence from gas, and it still carries a gas standing charge and boiler servicing. How much of the year the heat pump covers, and therefore how much gas is displaced, is not stated in the announcement1. Households weighing the two routes can compare them in hybrid versus full heat pump cost.
What happens next
Panasonic says the system can later be upgraded to a full Aquarea air source heat pump system when the boiler is no longer required or reaches the end of its life1. No date, price or UK availability details beyond the launch date have been reported1.
Sources1 cited
- Panasonic’s Introduces New Aquarea Hybrid Eco+ Heat Pump, aircon.panasonic.eu