A monobloc air source heat pump comes in one single outdoor unit. This connects directly to the heating system of a property and can be controlled by an indoor control panel or thermostat. There is often an outdoor control panel for the unit too.
Benefits of a monobloc heat pump
There are several benefits to choosing a monobloc air source heat pump-which we have detailed below.
More indoor space
As monobloc air source heat pumps are single outdoor units, they are very effective at providing more space inside your property. Depending on what kind of boiler you had installed previously, you could gain some indoor space from where the boiler used to be.
Easier to install
Monobloc units are self-contained, meaning there is no need for the connection of refrigerant pipes. This means any trained heating engineer should be able to install one with little difficulty, as the only connections that need to be made are those of water pipes to the central heating system. Due to the simplicity of their installation, monobloc air source heat pumps can be installed quickly which, in turn, makes their installation less costly.
Easy to maintain
Due to their all-in-one design, monobloc heat pumps are easy to maintain. While this is more of a benefit to heating engineers that will be doing the maintenance, it could also mean that having someone at your property to run maintenance on your heat pump will take less time out of your day.
Disadvantages of a monobloc heat pump
When choosing the best heat pump for your property, it is important to consider the disadvantages of each unit too. You can find the disadvantages of installing a monobloc heat pump below.
No hot water
Whilst you can have a monobloc air source heat pump connected directly to your central heating system, to heat the water in your radiators or underfloor heating, you will not get any hot running water without the installation of a separate hot water storage tank. If you already have a regular boiler or system boiler installed at your property, this will only mean replacing the existing hot water tank. However, if you have a combi boiler, a new hot water storage tank will likely take up space in your property that was previously free.
Lack of flexibility
Monobloc air source heat pumps have to be connected directly to the central heating system in a property. This means they will need to be located on an outer wall of your property with very little flexibility regarding whereabouts they can be installed.
Less outdoor space
A big drawback of monobloc air source heat pumps is their size. Due to them being an all-in-one unit, there is a lot of technology to fit in a single box. This makes them very large. If you have a small garden or your home has little or no front garden, you are going to struggle to find enough space to install a monobloc unit. Even if you do have enough space at the back of your property, the unit still needs a reasonably clear area around it to allow it to work at peak efficiency.
More noise
Due to monobloc units being bigger than split units, it also makes them noisier. We have provided comparative noise levels for a selection of air source heat pumps in our ‘How Loud Are Air Source Heat Pumps?’ article.
Post time: Dec-31-2022