The Refrigerant Shift That Matters for Your Business
The heat pump market is changing, not just in demand, but in what’s inside the units. Regulatory changes are reshaping which refrigerants will be available from 1 January 2027. For distributors and installers, understanding this shift is practical business planning, not just technical detail.
What’s happening with F-gas regulations
The EU F-gas Regulation is continuing to phase out refrigerants with high global warming potential. From 1 January 2027, air-to-water heat pumps with a rated capacity below 50 kW that use F-gases with a GWP above 150 can no longer be placed on the EU market. In practice, this means widely used refrigerants like R410A (GWP 1,924) and R32 (GWP 675) will be phased out for this product category.
(IPCC AR5 values, as used in the EU F-gas Regulation 2024/573).
This is a major shift that will remove existing product portfolios from the market and force manufacturers to develop new technology, and the deadline is now in sight. For anyone building a heat pump business today, the refrigerant choice in your product range has long-term implications: for availability, for pricing, and for the confidence you can offer your customers.
Why R290 (propane) makes practical sense
R290 is a natural refrigerant, not a fluorinated greenhouse gas, so it sits entirely outside the F-gas phase-down. It has a global warming potential of just 3, compared to 1,924 for R410A and 675 for R32. But the case for R290 isn’t only environmental. It’s practical:
Efficiency
R290 has excellent thermodynamic properties for heating and cooling. Heat pumps using R290 achieve high coefficients of performance, which translates to lower running costs for end customers and a stronger energy savings story for your sales conversations. R290 also delivers higher output temperatures than refrigerants like R32, which makes domestic hot water production more efficient, with less reliance on the electric backup heater, or none at all.
Long-term availability
As a natural substance, R290 isn’t subject to F-gas quotas. There’s no risk of supply constraints, price spikes, or future phase-downs. What you sell today remains fully supported and serviceable tomorrow.
Regulatory confidence
Products built on R290 are already aligned with where regulations are heading. That means no re-engineering, no product range disruption, and no difficult conversations with customers about discontinued refrigerants down the line.
Safety by design
R290 is flammable, which requires careful engineering. In the ES Energy Save R290 range, all units use a monobloc design, the entire refrigerant circuit is factory-sealed in the outdoor unit. No refrigerant enters the home. The “M” in our product naming stands for monobloc, and it’s a deliberate design choice that keeps installations safe and simplifies the process.
What this means if you’re a distributor
The refrigerant in your product range is a strategic decision. Stocking products built on refrigerants facing quota restrictions creates risk; supply uncertainty, price volatility, and the possibility of selling systems that become difficult to service.
An R290 range removes that risk. You’re offering products built on a refrigerant with a clear, long-term future. That’s a position you can communicate with confidence to your installers and their end customers.
What this means if you’re an installer
For day-to-day work, the monobloc design means you’re not handling refrigerant on site. The circuit is sealed at the factory. You’re connecting water pipes and electrical, straightforward work that doesn’t require handling of any refrigerant on site.
As regulations tighten and older refrigerant types become harder to source for servicing, having experience with R290 installations positions you well. The technology you’re fitting today is the technology the market is moving towards.
The ES Energy Save R290 product family
A complete range covering residential and commercial applications, heating, cooling, and domestic hot water.
Residential outdoor units
8 kW · 12 kW · 15 kW Monobloc air-to-water heat pumps with the refrigerant circuit fully contained outdoors. A+++ energy efficiency rated, operational down to -25°C, with low noise levels and night mode for residential areas. The 8 kW and 12 kW units arTankless indoor units e available in single-phase; the 15 kW unit is available in both single-phase and three-phase configurations.
All-in-one indoor units – 100 litre · 250 litre
Indoor units with integrated DHW tank, backup heating, and system controls — everything in one unit.
The 100 litre unit is designed as a direct gas boiler replacement. Similar footprint, wall-mountable, making the switch as simple as possible for retrofit projects.
The 250 litre unit suits medium to large households with higher hot water demand. Free-standing with a compact footprint.
Both include touchscreen controls, built-in connectivity, and mobile app access.
Tankless indoor units – HydroBox · Control Box
For hybrid installations where an existing hot water source stays in place, or heating-only applications. Wall-mounted, compact, and designed to integrate with existing systems — whether the current setup runs on electricity, oil, wood, pellets, or district heating.
Ideal for retrofit projects where the homeowner wants to modernise their heating without replacing everything at once.
Commercial
ES M40 R290 · ES NordFlex Controller
40 kW commercial outdoor unit with R290, paired with the ES NordFlex Controller for multi-zone heating and cooling management. Scalable up to 16 units in cascade configuration for larger commercial applications.
Certified across key European markets including BAFA, MCS, Keymark, and Q-Label, giving you immediate access to subsidy programmes.
Every unit. Connected from day one.
Every unit in the R290 range comes with built-in connectivity and fleet manager access at no extra cost, giving you remote monitoring, diagnostics, and alerts as standard.
The residential range adds mobile app control for end users and over-the-air updates for continuous improvement without site visits.
Build your business on a refrigerant with a future
The shift to R290 isn’t just regulatory, it’s strategic. Talk to us about how the ES Energy Save R290 range fits your market, or explore the full product portfolio.
