Monobloc heat pump

With a monobloc heat pump, the entire refrigerant circuit is located in the outdoor unit. Only water pipes lead into the house, not refrigerant lines.

In a monobloc heat pump, all components of the refrigerant circuit are combined in a single unit, which is usually located outdoors. The evaporator, compressor and condenser are connected at the factory and the circuit is sealed. Only the heating water pipes, power cables and control lines lead into the house.

Advantages

• According to Energieberatung NÖ (Lower Austria energy advisory service), the installation effort is lower because no additional refrigerant lines need to be laid.
• The refrigerant remains outside the house. This is a particular advantage with flammable natural refrigerants such as R290 (propane).
• According to the Bundesverband Wärmepumpe (German Heat Pump Association), in Germany no refrigerant certificate is required for simply installing a monobloc unit because the refrigerant circuit is not opened. Your installer can tell you how this is regulated in Austria.

Disadvantages

• The water pipes between the outdoor unit and the house must be well insulated and protected against frost. Energieberatung NÖ (Lower Austria energy advisory service) recommends laying pipes in the ground inside a protective conduit.

Legal framework

EU Regulation 2024/573 specifically regulates self-contained heat pumps, i.e. monobloc units. Up to 12 kW, fluorinated refrigerants with a GWP of 150 or more will no longer be permitted from 1 January 2027, and fluorinated gases in this class will be banned entirely from 1 January 2032, in each case with exceptions for safety requirements at the installation site.

The alternative design is described in Split heat pump. The noise calculator helps with the placement of the outdoor unit.

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