LG Air Source Heat Pumps (Review)

In our review of LG air source heat pumps, we’ll discuss:

• Their range and which heat pump is the most popular
• The top features of their most popular unit, including: high efficiency, low noise and easy of use
• How much LG heat pumps cost to install

To get prices on air source heat pumps from leading brands - including installation - use our clickable heat pump quote tool here. 

The Types of Pumps LG Offers

LG offers a range of air source heat pumps, all falling under the Therma V product line. 

Their product line-up includes: 

• Therma V Split
• Therma V Hydrosplit
• Therma V Monobloc
• Therma V R290 Monobloc

Their Split heat pump utilises both an indoor and outdoor unit, connected via refrigerant piping. This allows for the installation area to be flexible. However, you will need a F Gas engineer, as they will need to get gas pipes from the outdoor unit to the indoor.

The Hydrosplit takes this a step further, by ensuring no refrigerant is indoors (considered to be safer).

Split and hydrosplit heat pumps are fairly uncommon and they're much more complex to install than a typical heat pump. Naturally, the increased complexity means more labour time is needed during the installation process, adding to the overall cost.

On the flip-side a monobloc is an all in one unit, easy (and cheaper) to install and therefore the most popular type of air source heat pump that LG offers. And that’s why it’s the focus of this review…

But, LG offers both a Monobloc and a R290 Monobloc, so which one should you choose? 

Therma V Monobloc or R290 Monobloc?

The R290 Monobloc is the most commonly installed heat pump in the LG range.

 The standard Monobloc uses a R32 refrigerant, which is a less eco-friendly refrigerant to produce (has no impact on how environmentally friendly it is to run) in comparison to the R290 (propane) that the Therma V R290 Monobloc uses. 

Alongside this, with the R290 unit you'll get: 

• Higher flow temperatures
• Better overall efficiency and therefore, a higher Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP)
• Suitability for retrofit heating systems, including those using underfloor heating

We fit a range of air source heat pumps using R290 refrigerant. Get prices on-screen and benefit from up to £7,500 in government funding here. 

LG Therma V R290 Review

What Size LG Heat Pump Do I Need?

The LG Therma V R290 Monobloc comes in various outputs, including: 

7kW

Ideal for smaller properties with low hot water and heating demand. Typically, a 7kW LG heat pump would be perfect for a 1-2 bedroom property.

9kW

Small to medium households with average hot water and heat demand would be suited to a 9kW LG heat pump; 2-3 bedroom semi-detached houses.

12kW

Typically installed in medium sized households with high hot water and heat demand, or, large 3-4 bedroom properties.

14kW & 16kW

At the larger end of the scale, LG offers 14kW and 16kW heat pumps. Large properties with high ceilings and 5-6 bedrooms would be suited to these units.

Top Features

Efficiency

Heat pumps are known for having high efficiency and the LG Therma V R290 is no different. 

You'll get a SCOP rating of up to 5.2. That's when it's operating at a 35°C flow temperature; expect this SCOP rating to drop significantly as flow temperature increases. 

But what does that actually mean? 

Put simply, for every 1kWh of electricity the LG Therma V consumes, it will produce up to 5.2kWh of heat. And this means it’s up to 520% efficient. 

Compare that to the most efficient gas boilers, which would only produce 0.94kWh of heat for every 1kWh of gas they consume. 

By comparison to the up to 520% efficiency of the LG Therma V, A-rated gas boilers are rarely above 94% efficient.

High Flow Temperature

Some heat pumps will struggle in both cold weather and properties that aren't well insulated; they simply can't keep up with heat demand. And that's because their maximum flow temperature is generally in the 60-65°C range, although you should never run them at these temperatures and, in fact, the MCS design parameters (necessary for the grant) don't allow flow temperature design above 55 degrees).

The R290 Monobloc can hit a maximum flow temperature of 75°C, and keep operating down to -28°C.

As mentioned, you’ll see SCOP and efficiency drop considerably for every small increase in flow temperature. The lower the flow temperature you can use, the more efficient your LG heat pump will be, and therefore, the lower your electricity bill will be too. 

This is why most heat pump installs are coupled with radiator upgrades. Typically, this involves installing more, or, bigger radiators. The bigger surface area after the upgrade means your heat pump can operate at a much lower temperature, using less electricity in the process.

‍Environmentally Friendly

R290 is the most eco-friendly refrigerant available. 

Heat pumps' eco-friendliness is measured in Global Warming Potential (GWP). Old heat pumps use R410A, which has a GWP of 2088. Whilst, R32 refrigerant is much better, it still has a GWP of 675.

R290? It sits at just 3! as R290 / propane is a natural gas.

If you want to minimise your impact on global warming, a heat pump using R290 such as the LG Therma V Monobloc is the way to go!

Low Operating Noise

Heat pumps can be noisy. Some of the noisiest can hit 60db(A) or higher when operating. That's not only going to be a nuisance to you, but your neighbours too!

You can see from this diagram the impact of noise as dB(A) increases: 

The LG Therma is relatively quiet. 

For instance, the 12kW model operates at just 49 dB(A).

You can get prices on a range of low-noise heat pumps using our clickable heat pump tool here. 

Ease of Use

LG air source heat pumps are notorious for being easy to install and even easier to use. 

Using the LG ThinQ™ app you'll be able to:

• Adjust and turn your heating on/off remotely
• Set timers and schedules for when your heat pump operates
• Get real time statistics when it comes to the temperature in your property, as well as energy usage
• Use alongside Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant

‍Simple Diagnostics

Any aspect of a heating system tends to be expensive to fix. A lot of this cost relates to call out charges and the time to diagnose issues. 

That's not going to be the case with the Therma V. Thanks to their BECON Cloud, a repair engineer can access your system remotely. 

By doing so, they'll remove the need for a costly call out and diagnostic, reducing the cost of repairs dramatically.

How Much Do LG Heat Pumps Cost To Install?

Expect a basic installation for a LG Therma V R290 Monobloc heat pump to be in the region of £10,000-£12,500. 

Whilst this is a broad range, there are plenty of factors that affect the overall cost of installation including: 

• What size heat pump you need
• The amount of radiator upgrades required
• Additional extras such as smart controls
• Type and size of the hot water cylinder you need
• Electrical upgrades

This is probably the point where you’re hoping we say LG is overpriced and there are much cheaper options out there. 

Unfortunately, LG is relatively competitive when directly compared to other leading brands such as Vaillant, Grant, Samsung and more. The £9,000-£12,500 range for installation cost is fairly typical…

The good news? Most homeowners are eligible for a £7,500 government grant via the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. That’s going to reduce the cost of your installation to a similar level of what a new gas boiler would cost. 

You can use our grant eligibility checker here to find out if you’re eligible for that £7,500 grant (spoiler…most households are)! 

Or, read a more detailed guide to the installation costs for heat pump brands such as Vaillant, Samsung, LG and more here.

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