Which Grant Aerona heat pump suits your home, how efficient and how loud the Aerona 290 is on its published figures, what the Boiler Upgrade Scheme asks of it and what Grant's warranty requires from you and your installer.
Ireland
500+ employees
Founded 1978
The Grant Aerona 290 is the newer of Grant's two current heat pump ranges for UK houses: a monobloc air source heat pump with propane (R290) as its refrigerant, in five sizes from 4 to 15.5 kW, every size listed in the MCS product directory. The 9 kW size, HPR2909, has an MCS SCOP of 4.74 at a 35 °C flow temperature and 3.69 at 55 °C, and a sound power of 54 dB(A). Its warranty runs to 7 years, at no extra charge according to Grant, when a Grant G1 installer fits and registers it.
Grant is a manufacturer, not a grant scheme: for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and other support, see heat pump grants. Grant Engineering was founded in 1978 and has its factory and research centre in Birr, County Offaly, in Ireland; Grant UK has run its UK head office from Swindon, Wiltshire, since 2022. Grant also makes Vortex oil boilers, and the Aerona 290 is its fifth generation of heat pumps. You buy one through an installer, and the brand suits you best if that installer is in Grant's G1 scheme.
What we like
What we like less
Sorted by overall score, highest first.
How to read the ranking Scores out of 5. Quality: efficiency at 55 °C, outdoor sound power and maximum flow temperature of the model listed in our heat pump comparison. Warranty: 3.5 is the usual two-year manufacturer warranty; longer cover at no extra charge scores more, unclear terms or no cover at no extra charge score less. Price: our editorial price tier for the brand in the UK (5 = most affordable), an estimate rather than a price list. Overall: quality 50%, warranty 25%, price 25%. The full method is on our editorial method page.
Compare the specifications and warranties of the exact model.
Heat pump · 4 Versions
| Specifications | Grant Aerona 290 6.5 kW HPR29065 | Grant Aerona 290 9 kW HPR2909 | Grant Aerona 290 12 kW HPR29012 | Grant Aerona 290 15.5 kW HPR290155 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output and type | ||||
| Rated heat output (Prated) at 55 °C | 6.5 kW | 8.5 kW | 11.2 kW | 14.01 kW |
| Maximum flow temperature | 75 °C | |||
| Type | Monobloc | |||
| Power supply | 230 V 1~ 50 Hz | |||
| Efficiency on the EU label | ||||
| Energy class at 35 °C | A+++ | |||
| Energy class at 55 °C | A++ | |||
| SCOP at 35 °C | 5.08 | 4.74 | 4.74 | 4.56 |
| SCOP at 55 °C | 3.62 | 3.69 | 3.74 | 3.33 |
| Seasonal efficiency ηs at 35 °C | 203 % | 189 % | 190 % | 182 % |
| Seasonal efficiency ηs at 55 °C | 145 % | 148 % | 150 % | 133 % |
| Noise | ||||
| Outdoor sound power | 52 dB(A) | 54 dB(A) | 52 dB(A) | 53 dB(A) |
| Refrigerant | ||||
| Refrigerant | R290 | |||
| Refrigerant charge | 0.83 kg | 1 kg | 1.2 kg | 1.65 kg |
| Dimensions and weight | ||||
| Dimensions (H × W × D) | 855 × 1,228 × 441 mm | 855 × 1,228 × 441 mm | 1,366 × 1,158 × 401 mm | 1,366 × 1,158 × 401 mm |
| Weight | 115 kg | 131 kg | 153 kg | 180 kg |
Grant's UK homeowner range has two series: the Aerona 290 and the older Aerona³ R32 in 6, 10, 13 and 17 kW, which is still on sale. Grant also sells a hybrid hub that pairs a heat pump with an oil or gas boiler.
| Model | Mild dayHeat output at 7 °C outside and a 35 °C flow temperature, from Grant's UK datasheet | Cold dayHeat output at −5 °C outside and a 55 °C flow temperature; Grant names each size after this figure | Sound powerOutdoor unit, measured to BS EN 12102-1, from Grant's UK datasheet | Height × width |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPR2904 (4 kW) | 4.09 kW | 4.10 kW | 48 dB(A) | 803 × 1,155 mm |
| HPR29065 (6.5 kW) | 7.62 kW | 6.76 kW | 52 dB(A) | 854 × 1,223 mm |
| HPR2909 (9 kW) | 9.38 kW | 9.21 kW | 54 dB(A) | 854 × 1,223 mm |
| HPR29012 (12 kW) | 12.18 kW | 12.00 kW | 52 dB(A) | 1,365 × 1,155 mm |
| HPR290155 (15.5 kW) | 16.16 kW | 15.57 kW | 53 dB(A) | 1,365 × 1,155 mm |
Grant names each size after its output at −5 °C outside and a 55 °C flow, a cold day in a home with radiators. Every size runs from a single-phase 230 V supply, works at outdoor temperatures from −25 to 35 °C for heating, and delivers flow temperatures from 25 to 75 °C for space heating and up to 70 °C for hot water.
The gap to watch is between 6.5 and 9 kW. The median size of air source heat pumps whose Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants were paid from July to September 2026 was 8 kW; if your heat-loss survey lands there, ask the installer why they chose the size they did.
The Aerona 290 is a monobloc: the refrigerant circuit stays sealed in the outdoor unit, and only water pipes enter the house, as Grant's manual describes it.
For hot water, Grant pairs the Aerona 290 with its Quick Recovery 2 Smart pre-plumbed cylinders of 180, 210, 250 or 300 litres, made in County Offaly, which come set up for the Aerona 290 with the Aerona Smart Controller fitted to the front. If you are replacing a combi boiler, a cylinder means finding floor space for the first time.
If a quote names an Aerona³ (model codes starting HPID), it is the earlier R32 generation, still on sale: MCS lists Aerona³ models certified from 2016 and Aerona³ R32 models from 2018 and 2019, with MCS SCOP at 55 °C between 3.15 and 3.72. Check which one you are getting.
SCOP, the seasonal coefficient of performance, is the heat a heat pump delivers over a heating season for each unit of electricity, measured on a standard test. The MCS product directory lists it for every certified model at each flow temperature, and Grant's own product page gives the same figures, which makes the Aerona 290 easy to check.
| Model | MCS SCOP 35 °C | MCS SCOP 55 °C | Sound power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerona 290 4 kW | 5.00 | 3.66 | 48 dB(A) |
| Aerona 290 6.5 kW | 5.08 | 3.62 | 52 dB(A) |
| Aerona 290 9 kW | 4.74 | 3.69 | 54 dB(A) |
| Aerona 290 12 kW | 4.74 | 3.74 | 52 dB(A) |
| Aerona 290 15.5 kW | 4.56 | 3.33 | 53 dB(A) |
MCS SCOP
| Model | 35 °C flow | 55 °C flow |
|---|---|---|
| 4 kW | 5.00 | 3.66 |
| 6.5 kW | 5.08 | 3.62 |
| 9 kW | 4.74 | 3.69 |
| 12 kW | 4.74 | 3.74 |
| 15.5 kW | 4.56 | 3.33 |
The 4 to 12 kW sizes sit close together at 55 °C, between 3.62 and 3.74; only the 15.5 kW drops, to 3.33. The flow temperature matters more than the size: for the 9 kW, 4.74 ÷ 3.69 = 1.28, so on the test the same heat at 55 °C takes about 28% more electricity than at 35 °C. Radiators that let the system run cooler do more for your bills than the badge on the unit.
A test SCOP is also not what a home achieves: the government-funded Electrification of Heat trial measured a median of 2.78 across 428 air source heat pumps. At about that level, our example home (a 1970s gas semi using 9,500 kWh of gas a year, 85% boiler efficiency assumed) would pay about the same for its heating units with a heat pump as with its boiler, on Ofgem price cap unit rates (GB average, direct debit, 1 October to 31 December 2026, no VAT on electricity in Great Britain until 31 March 2027) with standing charges left out; the result depends on the house, the installation and the tariff. The arithmetic is in heat pump running costs.
Sound power is a property of the unit; sound pressure is what reaches a window and falls with distance. Grant's datasheet gives both: for the 9 kW, a sound power of 54 dB(A), and a sound pressure of 46 dB(A) at 1 m and 36 dB(A) at 3 m, measured with the unit on open ground. In England and Wales, permitted development needs the MCS 020(a) calculation to show no more than 37 dB(A) at a neighbour's nearest window or door, and it starts from the sound power, not those sound pressure figures.
An example: a 9 kW Aerona 290 (54 dB(A)) on the ground against your house wall (two reflecting surfaces, factor 4), with no fence between it and a neighbour's bedroom window. At 3 m the MCS formula gives 54 + 10 × log(4 ÷ (4 × π × 3²)) = 54 − 14.5 = 39.5 dB(A), over the limit. At 4 m it gives 54 − 17.0 = 37.0 dB(A), just within it. The 4 kW at 48 dB(A) gives 33.5 dB(A) at 3 m. A solid wall or fence that blocks the view also counts in the calculation; more on placement in heat pump noise, and check with your local planning authority before you commit to a spot.
In England and Wales, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme takes £7,500 off an air source heat pump if your home qualifies; some off-gas-grid homes replacing oil or LPG may qualify for £9,000 instead, for applications properly made from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. Your installer, who must be MCS-certified and in an approved consumer code such as RECC or HIES, applies to Ofgem and deducts the grant from your bill, so get the voucher before work starts. A heat pump supplied and installed in your home also carries 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5%. Scotland and Northern Ireland differ: Scotland has its own grant and loan through Home Energy Scotland, and Northern Ireland has no grant open to every homeowner; the details are in heat pump grants.
The grant follows the installation, not the brand, but the model matters: the MCS design standard requires the heat pump to be listed on the MCS website. All five Aerona 290 sizes have been listed since 4 December 2024, with no end date shown, and the Aerona³ R32 sizes are listed too.
This matters in an oil home. Your existing oil, gas or LPG heating must be fully replaced rather than kept as a back-up, so a hybrid, such as an Aerona linked to your oil or gas boiler through Grant's EvoLink Smart hub, gets no grant. Ask the quote to say who removes the old boiler and tank and what that costs; what else the switch from oil involves is in replacing an oil boiler with a heat pump.
Grant's documents call this a guarantee; it is a manufacturer's warranty, and what you get depends on registration, servicing and who installs the heat pump:
| Cover | Length | Conditions | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 12 months from installation | installed and commissioned in line with Grant's instructions | included |
| Registered | 2 years from installation | registered with Grant within 30 days, serviced after 12 months | included; you pay for the service |
| G1 cover | 7 years for Aerona heat pumps | fitted by a G1 installer who has done Grant's heat pump training and registers it on the G1 portal or app; G1 scheme terms apply | at no extra charge, per Grant |
| Extended warranty | 3 more years, 5 in total from installation | registered within 30 days; for homes without G1 cover | paid; price not published |
What the 2-year terms say. During the 2 years, Grant charges nothing for parts or labour if the heat pump was installed and commissioned correctly, registered within 30 days and, after its first year, serviced. Grant may ask for proof of purchase, the commissioning report, service records and the system design. Claims go to Grant before any work starts: your installer contacts Grant's service department, and Grant doesn't pay third-party invoices it hasn't authorised. If the fault turns out to lie in your heating system rather than the heat pump, you may be charged.
What it excludes. Faults from system contamination, sludge, scale or trapped air; a wrongly sized expansion vessel; controls, radiators and pipework Grant didn't supply; servicing itself; and access equipment where the top of the unit sits more than 2 m above the ground. Grant recommends a magnetic filter in the heating pipework. Its internal heat exchanger is covered for 2 years if the system was flushed and treated with inhibitor.
Where it applies, and moving house. The terms cover the UK mainland, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and the Scottish Isles; elsewhere in the UK, including Northern Ireland, cover is by agreement with Grant. The rest of the warranty passes to a new owner if the heat pump is serviced before they move in and Grant is told.
The G1 cover. Grant shows 7 years for Aerona heat pumps, says G1 installers offer their extended cover at no additional cost, and says it only starts once the G1 installer registers the heat pump. Grant doesn't publish the G1 scheme terms or say whether the 7 years cover parts and labour like the first 2, so ask for the G1 terms in writing. The warranty adds to your statutory rights against the installer; it doesn't replace them.
The Aerona 290 is designed to run with the Aerona Smart Controller, which handles weather and load compensation, heating-curve adjustment and set-up, and lets the heat pump be managed and monitored remotely. Remote access needs the Aerona Smart WiFi Hub, a separate accessory. Weather compensation lowers the flow temperature as the weather gets milder, which cuts the electricity the heat pump uses.
Solar panels and tariffs. Grant's Aerona 290 pages don't describe solar or tariff features. On a time-of-use tariff, you set the heating and hot-water schedules yourself on the controller; ask your installer how the Smart Controller handles timed hot water.
An oil-heated home off the gas grid. If your current boiler is a Grant, ask the engineer who services it whether they also fit the Aerona as a G1 installer. Some off-gas homes in England and Wales may qualify for the higher grant described above.
A semi or detached house with radiators. The 9 and 12 kW sizes reach 3.69 and 3.74 at 55 °C; the survey decides the size.
A smaller or well-insulated home. The 4 kW (4.10 kW at −5 °C and a 55 °C flow) and the 6.5 kW (6.76 kW) cover lower heat losses, and the 4 kW is the quietest at 48 dB(A); the heat-loss survey decides the size.
Less suited if no G1 installer covers your area, because then 2 years is what you can count on; if you live in Northern Ireland; or if the outdoor unit must sit within about 4 m of a neighbour's window with nothing in between.
How Grant fares in our comparison. In our comparison of air source heat pumps we score the model nearest 8 kW from each brand on four published criteria: efficiency at 55 °C (40%), outdoor sound power (25%), the warranty you get at no extra charge (25%) and maximum flow temperature (10%). For the Aerona 290 9 kW, the 7-year G1 warranty (at no extra charge, per Grant) and the 75 °C raise the score; the 54 dB(A) sound power lowers it, and its 3.69 at 55 °C is near the middle of the models we compare. Manufacturers and installers don't pay for placement; how we score is in our editorial method.
How to put two quotes side by side, and what consumer-code protection to ask about, is in choosing an MCS installer.
No. Grant is a heating manufacturer that makes the Aerona heat pumps and Vortex oil boilers. The grant for heat pumps in England and Wales is the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, £7,500 if your home qualifies; Scotland has Home Energy Scotland.
Grant doesn't publish homeowner prices; the installer prices the whole job. Across all brands, the median installed price of an air source heat pump in England and Wales, for jobs whose Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants were paid from July to September 2026, was £12,826 before the grant, as reported by MCS installers, with VAT included. In England and Wales, if your home qualifies, the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant comes off that.
Twelve months as standard, 2 years if it is registered with Grant within 30 days and serviced after the first year, and 7 years when a G1 installer fits it and registers it on Grant's G1 portal or app. Grant says G1 cover comes at no additional cost; ask your installer for the G1 terms in writing.
All five sizes are listed in the MCS product directory, which the MCS design standard requires. Whether your installation gets the grant in England and Wales depends on your home, an MCS-certified installer in an approved consumer code such as RECC or HIES, and Ofgem's decision, not on the brand. A hybrid that keeps an oil or gas boiler gets no grant.
Grant has its factory and research centre in Birr, County Offaly, in Ireland, and its UK head office in Swindon. Its pages don't say where the Aerona 290 itself is built, so ask your installer if that matters to you.
The five sizes have a sound power of 48 to 54 dB(A); the 9 kW is 54 dB(A). In our example, a 9 kW unit against a wall needs about 4 m to a neighbour's window to meet the 37 dB(A) permitted development limit in England and Wales, and the 4 kW meets it at 3 m.
Reading time: 16 min
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme in full: amounts in England and Wales, the £9,000 for oil or LPG homes to 31 March 2027, who qualifies, the six steps from quote to voucher, Scotland and Northern Ireland, loans and 0% VAT to 31 March 2027.
Read moreHeat pump grants
Reading time: 14 min
Heat pump running costs in our example 1970s semi: 2,884 kWh and £759 a year at SCOP 2.8, £850 at 2.5 and £686 at 3.1 (Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026), against £865 for gas including a £108 standing charge that ends only if the gas supply is disconnected, as we assume.
Read moreHeat pump running costs
Reading time: 15 min
Heat pump noise explained: sound power and sound pressure, how distance, walls and fences change the level, the MCS 020(a) test for permitted development in England and Wales with a worked example on a UK datasheet, placement, what reduces noise and how to handle complaints.
Read moreHeat pump noise
Reading time: 15 min
Replacing an oil or LPG boiler with a heat pump: the £9,000 grant for off-gas homes in England and Wales replacing oil or LPG (applications properly made 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027), if your home qualifies, running costs against three oil prices, LPG as a formula, the oil tank and eight steps.
Read moreReplacing an oil boiler with a heat pump
Reading time: 15 min
Seven air source heat pumps around 8 kW ranked from MCS certificate data, UK warranty terms and makers' documents, with our weights, every model's values, a worked score, a noise example and a quote checklist.
Read moreBest air source heat pumps
Reading time: 15 min
How to choose an MCS-certified heat pump installer: checking certification and consumer-code membership, what a complete quote and design must show, warning signs, deposit protection under RECC and HIES, and cancellation rights.
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