You run the resort.We run the energy.
Building R290 and CO₂ natural-refrigerant heat pumps for the hotels, resorts and spas of Southeast Asia. Hot water, pools, kitchens, cold storage, air conditioning. One platform. Four loads.
You already have heat pumps. They are failing four ways.
Most Philippine hotels installed R410A or R134a heat pumps in the 2014–2018 wave. Those units are now mid-phasedown under DENR DAO 2021-31, leaking faster in coastal salt air, silently losing 1–2% efficiency every year, and waiting weeks for spare parts. This is what the next replacement decision actually looks like.
F-Gas Phasedown · DAO 2021-31
R410A has a Global Warming Potential of 2,088 and is now mid-phasedown under the Philippines' domestic codification of the Kigali Amendment. Wholesale R410A prices are up 3–5× since 2022 as supply tightens. Service-call recharge cost now dominates HVAC maintenance contracts. Karnot R290 has a GWP of 3 and no phasedown clock running.
Coastal Salt-Air Corrosion
Most Philippine luxury hotels sit within 5km of salt water. Aluminium fin pitting is typically visible inside 18–24 months; copper coil perforations follow inside 4–6 years; refrigerant leak frequency triples versus inland units. Karnot iSPA uses marine-grade titanium tube-in-shell exchangers as standard — designed to outlive the pool.
Silent COP Decay
Heat pumps lose 1–2% efficiency every year from compressor wear and slow refrigerant loss. By year 10, a unit specified at COP 4.0 is silently delivering 3.0–3.2 — a 25% increase in your kWh bill that nobody flagged. The aging is invisible until you measure it. Karnot units come with a documented COP curve.
Spare-Part Scarcity
The wave of low-cost imported heat pumps that shipped into Philippine hospitality in 2014–2018 came from vendors who have since consolidated, renamed, or left the export market entirely. Spare parts now require 8–12 week air-freight — and your hot water can't wait three months. Karnot maintains a Pangasinan parts depot.
Four loads. One platform.
Each Karnot product line replaces a different piece of legacy plant. The same hydronic loop ties them together — designed once, sized to the property.
iHEAT R290
Hot water · rooms · laundry. 9.5–105 kW. COP 4.5+. Delivers 60–82°C — replaces LPG and diesel boilers.
iSPA
Pools & spa. 6.5–39 kW. COP 7.5. Marine titanium for saltwater. Heats and cools — perfect tropical pool year-round.
iCOOL
Kitchens & cold storage. CO₂ (R744) refrigeration. Replaces R404A walk-ins. GWP 1 — zero phasedown risk.
iMESH
Existing chiller retrofit. Adiabatic upgrade bolts onto your current plant. +15–25% COP day one — bridge investment.
iZONE
Hydronic fan coils for guest rooms. <30 dBA. ECM motors. PFAS-free. ModBus BMS — replaces PTAC, VTAC and refrigerant-loaded VRF.
iVOLT
Solar + LiFePO4 battery + heat pump bundles. 3 → 10 kW. Brownout-proofs the property during yellow/red grid alerts.
iSTOR
Phase-change thermal battery. 33–80 kWh. Bridges peak demand and power outages — 3× more compact than tanks.
32-room Philippine hotel · DHW retrofit
Based on a published Philippine hospitality benchmark: a 32-room mid-scale hotel running a 44 kW diesel boiler 8 hours/day, consuming approximately 40 litres of diesel daily at ₱65–70/L — annual fuel spend of ~₱1,008,000. Replaced with two 28 kW R290 heat pumps drawing a combined 21.5 kW electrical input, running the same hours at PH industrial electricity rates. Modelled annual electricity spend at COP 5.8: ~₱209,664. Net annual saving: ~₱798,000. Capex on the equipment: roughly ₱1.8M. Simple payback before any BOI incentives: well under 24 months. Real numbers come from a free site audit on your own property.
Capital purchase. BOI tax incentives. Two-year payback.
Karnot equipment is sold outright with a 3-year warranty on the heat-pump core. Energy-efficiency capex may qualify for BOI incentives under RA 11285 — Karnot supports the registration paperwork; the final incentive package is confirmed by BOI on a case-by-case basis.
From the day it's commissioned, the bill drops.
Energy Efficiency & Conservation Act incentives.
Most hotel installations qualify. Karnot supplies the BOI registration paperwork as part of the project handover.
- RA 11285 framework — codifies energy efficiency as a public-policy priority
- DOE classification support — Type 1 / Type 2 designated establishment
- BOI registration — Karnot supports application paperwork as standard project scope
- Final incentive package — confirmed by BOI based on project profile and Strategic Investment Priority Plan
- Verify with your tax adviser before commitment — incentives are not guaranteed
Download the Hotels & Resorts Application Brief
The full slide deck and the single-page summary — both ready to share with your facilities team, your CFO or your board.
Engineering Tools for Hotel Projects
Free calculators to size your hotel heat pump system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can a Philippine hotel save with a heat pump?
Anchored to the published Philippine 32-room hotel benchmark, DHW retrofit alone delivers approximately ₱25,000 per occupied room per year in savings versus an LPG or diesel boiler. A full thermal retrofit covering pool, spa, kitchen cold storage and chiller upgrades adds a further ₱33,000 per room per year. Real numbers depend on occupancy, hot water demand, pool volume and current fuel cost — confirmed by a free site audit.
What is the payback period for a hotel heat pump?
DHW retrofit (replacing an LPG or diesel boiler with iHEAT) typically pays back in around 24 months. Full thermal retrofits including pool, spa, kitchen cold storage and chiller upgrades pay back in 3 to 5 years. Most installations qualify for BOI tax incentives under RA 11285 — Karnot files the registration paperwork as part of project scope.
Can iHEAT heat a swimming pool?
Yes. The iSPA range (6.5-39kW) is specifically designed for pool heating with COP up to 14.05 and titanium heat exchangers for saltwater resistance. For larger resort pools, iHEAT R290 units provide efficient year-round heating and can be integrated with the hotel domestic hot water system.
Does switching to heat pumps help with SEC PFRS S2?
Yes. Replacing diesel boilers eliminates Scope 1 combustion emissions from your hotel. R290 refrigerant has a GWP of just 3, avoiding the HFC-related Scope 1 disclosures that affect hotels using conventional DX cooling systems with R410A (GWP 2,088).
What happens during a power outage?
iSTOR phase-change thermal batteries store up to 80kWh of hot water energy, providing hours of backup without electricity. When paired with generator backup, the heat pump restarts automatically and the thermal store bridges the transition period seamlessly.
Ready to Cut Your Hotel Energy Bill by 75%?
Book a free site survey. Our engineers will model your hot water demand, size the system, and show you the exact payback.