Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Platinum A' Design Award in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Products Design Competition Category.
PlatinumHVAC· 2026
Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump
by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)
Client: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd.
Platinum A' Design Award Winner in HVAC Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #177246The Design
About Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump
The unit is a residential air to water heat pump that provides heating, cooling, and domestic hot water with excellent environmental performance using natural refrigerant R290. The unit has a jet black body with a silver accent, harmonizing with both traditional European buildings and modern architecture. The fan guard on the left side has a textured surface, while the right side has a smooth flat panel. It can supply hot water at 75 degrees Celsius even at -25 degrees Celsius, ensuring reliable year-round comfort.
The Recognition
About the Platinum A' Design Award
Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump is a Platinum A' Design Award winner, an extremely prestigious recognition granted to truly exceptional, elegant, and magnificent designs. Platinum winners are marvels of creation, testaments to the limits of intellectual creativity, and demonstrate the unmatched professionalism and genius of their designers. These designs are expected to be the most renowned works that define the aesthetics of an era, contribute to the well-being of society, and push the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump exhibits a transcendent level of excellence and unequivocally makes the world a better place with its advantageous and worthwhile characteristics. Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump is a Platinum A' Design Award-winning work that triggers desires, inspires, excites, delights, and sparks great joy.
Interviews
Grand Interview
The Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump has drawn considerable attention for its jet-black finish with silver accents, a bold and distinctive aesthetic direction rarely seen in outdoor HVAC equipment. What is the story behind this visual identity, and how did the design team at Tensa Industrial Design arrive at the conviction that such an architecturally refined appearance was not only appropriate but essential for a product installed in visible outdoor settings across Europe?
The Hydrolution EZY Series’ jet-black finish with sleek silver lining represents a deliberate departure from conventional outdoor HVAC aesthetics, which often prioritize function over form. This striking jet-black panel, complemented by subtle silver accents, was carefully considered to enhance the overall look and contribute to a refined, contemporary aesthetic. The bold black combined with elegant silver details adds sophistication, ensuring the unit integrates seamlessly into the external spaces of European homes. Our engineers envisioned the heat pump not merely as functional equipment but as an architectural statement that elevates residential exteriors, a conviction born from deep research into consumer preferences and the desire to transform visible outdoor HVAC units into design assets.
As the residential heating sector undergoes a significant transition away from fossil fuel boilers, the Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump enters the market carrying natural refrigerant R290, which carries a Global Warming Potential of just 0.02. How do you believe this specific refrigerant choice will shape consumer and installer confidence in heat pump adoption, and what does it communicate about the design philosophy that guided the entire development process?
Electing natural refrigerant R290 with an ultra-low Global Warming Potential of 0.02 underscores a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and future-proofing. This boosts consumer and installer confidence by aligning with growing regulatory pressures and sustainability goals. It signals that the Hydrolution EZY Series is designed with both ecological impact and safety in mind. The refrigerant decision reflects a holistic design philosophy focused on innovation, performance and minimizing carbon footprint, while reinforcing the product’s role as a forward-thinking solution in the transition away from fossil fuel heating.
The Hydrolution EZY Series Residential Air to Water Heat Pump required the establishment of a dedicated R290 manufacturing line in Thailand, along with a thorough lifecycle risk assessment covering testing, storage, shipping, installation, and disposal. How did the responsibility of working with a flammable natural refrigerant influence the industrial design decisions made by Tensa Industrial Design, particularly with respect to the structural and safety-integrated features built into the product's form?
Using flammable R290 refrigerant profoundly shaped the industrial design approach, demanding rigorous integration of safety features without compromising aesthetics or usability. Our design team prioritized robust structural integrity, e.g. incorporating fire-resistant materials, leak sensor and non-flammable enclosure within the unit’s form. The design also facilitates safe installation and maintenance by clearly considering ventilation and leak detection. This responsibility led to a harmonization of form and function, ensuring that the product meets stringent safety standards while maintaining a sleek, approachable appearance suitable for residential settings.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The unit is a residential air-to-water heat pump that provides heating, cooling, and domestic hot water with excellent environmental performance using natural refrigerant R290. The unit has a jet-black body with a silver accent, harmonizing with both traditional European buildings and modern architecture. The fan guard on the left side has a textured surface, while the right side has a smooth flat panel. It can supply hot water at 75°C even at -25°C, ensuring reliable year-round comfort.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Dimensions (H × W × D): 916 × 1160 × 440 mm
- Tags
- residential air to water heat pump, climate-solution, low global warming potential, longevity
- Production Technology
- The product was designed in Japan and is manufactured at our factory in Thailand.
Production takes place on a dedicated R290 manufacturing line, which ensures strict control of safety and quality when handling this natural refrigerant. As part of our quality assurance process, every unit undergoes test runs for both heating and cooling modes before shipment. During these test runs, performance data is recorded and traceable this helps to verify operation and to support long-term reliability. - Design Challenge
- One of the challenges was achieving a design that prioritize durability, without compromising on aesthetics.
Materials and structural components were carefully selected to withstand harsh outdoor conditions.
To verify the resilience of the black exterior, the unit underwent 1,000 hours of UV resistance testing to ensure protection against prolonged sunlight exposure and was subjected to a direct sunlight test in the laboratory to evaluate the temperature rise of the controller. - Research
- To ensure the safe use of the flammable refrigerant, a thorough risk assessment was conducted across the entire product lifecycle—including testing, manufacturing, storage, shipping, installation, operation, maintenance, and disposal. Cross-functional collaboration across design, sales, manufacturing, and quality assurance ensured the product was optimized both technically and commercially.
A field test in the Netherlands provided real-world feedback to validate its performance. - Inspiration
- Air-to-water heat pumps are becoming more popular as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuel boilers. Since units are typically installed outside and often positioned in visible areas, thoughtful and high-quality design is important. This unit features a jet-black finish and clean, minimal lines, blending naturally into traditional European architecture while offering a refined appearance. It uses R290, a natural refrigerant with an extremely low Global Warming Potential of 0.02.
- Project Duration
- The product was developed over several years through close collaboration between the marketing, sales, engineering, manufacturing, and quality assurance teams.
To ensure alignment with real-world requirements, feedback from various clients across Europe was also actively incorporated throughout the development process. A field test was conducted at a customer site in the Netherlands, where key aspects such as performance, durability, and ease of installation were closely evaluated. - Operation Flow
- The unit has a sound pressure level of just 34 dB(A) even at maximum capacity, achieved by a sound-absorbing double base plate and large fan, making it as quiet as a library—ensuring noise remains low enough for comfortable nighttime use. It is compatible with a remote monitoring system allowing users to monitor operation status, optimize performance, and detect issues via smartphones. For safe operation with R290 refrigerant, the unit includes multiple sensors, a sealed internal structure that separates ignition sources, and a vent hole at the base designed to safely release gas outside in the unlikely event of a leak.
- Patents
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd.
- Team Members
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)
- Image Credits
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd.
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