Grant UK made the EvoLink Hybrid System Hub available on 19 January 2024, describing it as a new addition to its hybrid heating range1. The unit allows an Aerona³ air source heat pump to be combined with an existing fossil fuel heat source1.
The EvoLink is a white cased, compact wall-mounted unit designed for indoor installation, housing the hydraulics and sensors needed to connect a new Aerona³ heat pump to an existing heating system1. Grant UK gives its maximum output to the heating system as 32kW, and states it is suitable for installation with kerosene and HVO boilers, gas boilers, LPG boilers, electric boilers and modulating biomass boilers with space heating outputs of up to 36kW1. The company says the unit can enable an Aerona³ air source heat pump to be connected to most existing domestic heating systems1.
The hub is designed to manage the two heat sources, maximising the heat pump's use and using the original boiler as a supplementary heater1. It has two operating modes, "comfort" and "green", which Grant UK says allow the end user to select the mode that best meets their own preferences, through what it describes as a simple control interface1. Grant UK positions the product for properties where a standalone air source heat pump cannot meet the entire heat demand, and says it gives hard to heat homes the opportunity to reduce their carbon emissions when a standalone heat pump may not be possible1.
"Hybrid heating technologies are an important part of our industry's transition to low carbon heating. Just as different types of heating systems have kept our homes warm for the last fifty years, a variety of solutions will be needed to heat homes in the future, helping all types of properties to reduce their carbon emissions."
| Feature | Detail as stated by Grant UK |
|---|---|
| Maximum output to heating system | 32kW |
| Compatible existing heat sources | Kerosene and HVO boilers, gas boilers, LPG boilers, electric boilers, modulating biomass boilers (space heating outputs up to 36kW) |
| Heat pump | Aerona³ air source |
| Installation | Indoors, wall-mounted |
| Operating modes | Comfort and green |
Why it matters for households
A hybrid heat pump arrangement keeps a home's existing boiler in place and adds a heat pump alongside it, rather than replacing the boiler outright. For a household, that changes the practical shape of a low carbon heating upgrade: the boiler remains available to top up heat demand when required, while the heat pump carries as much of the load as it can1. Grant UK states the EvoLink is designed to help homes reduce their dependency on their traditional fossil fuel boiler1.
The relevance to energy independence sits in how much of a home's heat comes from the heat pump rather than delivered fuel. Grant UK says the unit maximises the heat pump's use and uses the original boiler as a supplementary heater, and that reducing a property's heat loss over time would allow the heat pump to fulfil more of the heating demand and further reduce dependency on fossil fuels1. The company also states the product is aimed at hard to heat homes where a standalone heat pump may not be possible1.
Grant UK has not published a price for the EvoLink, nor installation costs, running cost comparisons or efficiency figures for the unit in this announcement1. The Grant UK range includes the Aerona air source models and the Vortex oil boiler range, and the wider question of whether a hybrid arrangement costs less than a full heat pump is covered in the site's comparison of hybrid and full heat pump cost.
What happens next
No dated next steps, eligibility schemes or grant funding linked to the EvoLink have been reported1. Grant UK directs readers to its hybrids product pages for further information1.