A home in Holsworthy, Devon, has updated its heat pump heating system by replacing their old unit with an Aerona 290 air source heat pump. With this latest generation of Grant heat pump now heating their rooms and providing hot water, the homeowners have transformed their heating system into an incredibly efficient, modern-designed low carbon solution.
The Project
Property: detached domestic property built in 2011
Heat source: air source heat pump
Products installed: Aerona 290 12kW air source heat pump and QR 250ltr Single Coil Cylinder
During the Spring of 2025, a Devonshire home was looking for a new heating system to fulfil their space heating and domestic hot water requirements. The homeowners wanted a reliable heat pump system to replace their old heat pump and turned to their heating engineers, BRC Heating & Plumbing Ltd, for their advice. Working together to ensure the household’s requirements were fully assessed, their solution for a new heating system was found in a Grant Aerona 290 heat pump, Aerona Smart Heat Pump System Controller and Quick Recovery hot water cylinder.
The property – where was the heat pump installed?
Situated in rural Devon, the detached house was originally built in 2011. Comprising of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sitting room, sun room and combined kitchen/diner, the property totals 196 m². BRC Heating & Plumbing Ltd carried out the heat loss calculations and calculated the home’s heat loss to be 8.26kW – this excluded the sun room which is unheated so the heat pump was sized to factor in and allow for the impact of the daily use of this unheated room on the neighbouring rooms and their desired temperatures.
Why was a new heating system needed?
When the property was originally built, a 13kW air source heat pump was installed but after fourteen years, the decision was made that a replacement heat pump was needed to better meet the household’s heating requirements. “We have been servicing the old heat pump at this property since 2019,” explains Ben from BRC Heating & Plumbing Ltd. “In the last couple of years, the heat pump had broken down a couple of times so we sat down with our clients to discuss the options available to them. They wanted their replacement system to continue to be renewable and with the advances in heat pump technology and manufacturer support, swapping out their old heat pump for a new heat pump was the clear solution.”
How did Grant products provide the solution?
After completing the room by room heat loss calculations, BRC Heating & Plumbing Ltd specified a Grant Aerona 12kW air source heat pump with Aerona Smart Controller and a 250ltr QR Single Coil Hot Water Cylinder. “We recommended the Grant Aerona 290 to our client,” continues Ben. “We have been installing Grant products for many years so we have good knowledge of their products and we know that if technical support is needed, the Grant UK Teams are there to help. We are also G1 Installers which allows us to offer 7-year heat pump guarantees on Aerona air source heat pumps, something which gives our customers peace of mind.”
Benefits of the Aerona 290 heat pump
At the centre of the new heating system for this Devon home is twin-fan Aerona 290 12kW R290 heat pump which has been designed to deliver incredible efficiencies, stylish aesthetics and user-friendly control. This latest generation of air-to-water heat pump technology from Grant UK offer homeowners many benefits, including:
- Modern, sleek design to suit different property types and their outdoor space
- Minimal sound levels when operating, with the entire Aerona 290 range being Quiet Mark approved
- Controlled by the Aerona Smart Controller which makes accessing the key heat pump system settings easy and facilitates remote control and remote monitoring for the end-user and their installer
- MCS certified so Grant Aerona 290 heat pumps are eligible for Government funding schemes.
When installing the Aerona 290 12kW heat pump model at this home, the installers were able to position the unit in the same location where the previous heat pump had been located. What’s more, no changes to the existing heat emitters were needed as all of the radiators were working well and sized correctly alongside an underfloor heating system. Both types of existing heat emitters were therefore easily connected to the new heat pump system.
Hot water storage for the new system
With the heat pump being upgraded, it was also decided to remove the old heat pump cylinder and install a new hot water storage solution. Grant UK supply a range of hot water cylinders which are available in sizes from 150litres up to 300litres with single coil, twin coil and slimline options to suit different types of installations. For this particular property, the 250ltr Quick Recovery Single Coil Cylinder was installed. QR Cylinders are an ideal hot water solution for heat pumps because:
- they feature large internal coils to maximise the transfer of heat from the low temperature heat pump system to the stored water
- they have high levels of insulation to ensure low standing heat losses
- they are manufactured using a high quality duplex stainless steel shell which has a 25 year material guarantee (Terms and Conditions apply).
Installer support from Grant UK
“Our electrician received support from Grant UK’s Technical Team over the phone,” writes Ben. “We needed to make two separate heating zones in order to accommodate the customer’s requirements so this involved using one of Grant UK’s Heat Pump Installation Packs with zone valves, something which is not out of the box so the technical support from Grant UK was greatly appreciated during the installation.
Review of the new heat pump system
From the installer’s perspective, the new Aerona 290 “does what it says on the tin!” The installation was completed and the system commissioned in Summer 2025 and the homeowners are pleased with their new system, especially the smart design of the Aerona 290 and its black, powder coated casing. “With summer installations,” continues Ben, “we offer a return visit free of charge so that we can return to our clients during the heating season to make sure their new system is working as expected. We can then adjust settings if required and ensure the homeowner is happy with how their system is running.”
Ready to learn more about heat pumps for your home?
An air source heat pump from Grant UK provides an efficient, reliable heating solution which can suit many different types of homes and their requirements. A heat pump can replace a traditional fossil fuel boiler, replace an older heat pump, or provide the solution for a brand new home. If you are wondering whether your home could be right for a heat pump, explore some of our resources here to help with your research:
- Read about how air source heat pumps work to keep homes warm
- What is R290 refrigerant which is used in the Grant Aerona 290 heat pump
- Discover the range of Grant air source heat pumps.
