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MAXA HWA2 · Italy · R290

Commercial Hot Water

MAXA HWA2 — reversible chillers and heat pumps for commercial buildings

One machine. Heating, cooling and hot water — guaranteed year-round performance for commercial and industrial buildings. The HWA2 range pairs proven scroll-compressor reliability with R290 natural refrigerant (GWP 3) and water temperatures up to 78 °C. Eight chassis sizes cover everything from a 73 kW boutique hotel to a 192 kW aged-care facility.

Heating output
73 – 192 kW
Cooling output
60 – 152 kW
Hot water up to
78 °C
Refrigerant
R290 · GWP 3
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Maxa
HWA2
Reversible · Industrial · R290
Heating · Cooling · Domestic Hot Water — from one outdoor unit. Eight sizes, three frames, three acoustic options.

The short answer

Updated

A commercial hot water system in Australia can now run on an all-electric heat pump such as the MAXA HWA2, an Italian R290 reversible range that delivers heating, cooling and hot water up to 78 °C from one outdoor unit. Eight sizes cover 60–152 kW of cooling for hotels, aged care, schools, gyms and strata buildings. AHHAC sizes, installs and commissions HWA2 plant across NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD.

Sizes
8 chassis
Hot water up to
78 °C
Heating COP
Up to 4.33
Refrigerant
R290 · GWP 3

Reviewed by the AHHAC Technical Team — licensed plumbers & hydronic engineers, NSW Lic 262528C.How we write & review

About the HWA2 range

One unit. Heating, cooling and 78 °C hot water.

The HWA2 is MAXA's industrial reversible chiller and heat pump platform — engineered for commercial and industrial buildings that need heating, cooling and high-temperature hot water from a single piece of plant. By using scroll-compressor reliability and R290 natural refrigerant, it delivers guaranteed year-round performance while future-proofing the building against refrigerant phase-down regulation.

The range splits into two configurations. HWA2-A is the chiller-focused series — suitable for comfort cooling and industrial process applications. The BT (low-temperature) version delivers fluid temperatures as low as −8 °C for process chilling. HWA2-AH is the reversible heat pump series — wide operating range, high maximum water temperature, suitable both for new installations and as a high-efficiency replacement for legacy chillers or boilers without a hydraulic redesign.

Three different frame designs accommodate the eight sizes — single-circuit twin-scroll machines for the 0270–0290 models, twin-circuit four-scroll machines for the 04110–04170 models. Each size can be configured with single or double AC pumps, single inverter pumps, integrated buffer tank, and three acoustic options (Standard, SL, SSL — down to 49 dB(A) at 10 m).

The eight HWA2 sizes — at a glance

ModelHeating (AH) kWCooling (A) kWCompressorsCircuits
HWA2 027072.760.021
HWA2 028078.567.121
HWA2 029084.475.721
HWA2 0411011698.342
HWA2 0412012911242
HWA2 04140138.6132.442
HWA2 04155152.9141.642
HWA2 04170167.3152.442

Where the HWA2 fits

  • Hotels and serviced apartments — peak shower demand + heating and cooling from one plant
  • Hospitals and aged-care — round-the-clock DHW with redundant pumps and BMS integration
  • Schools and universities — staged occupancy with weather-compensated control
  • Gyms, swimming centres and wellness facilities — heat-recovery from pool dehumidification
  • Multi-unit residential and strata — central DHW + heating, individual metering
  • Manufacturing and food processing — process water heating and chilling on one unit
  • Heritage and adaptive-reuse projects — replaces gas-fired plant with all-electric
  • Government and council buildings — meets Net Zero procurement criteria with R290
Configurations

Built for your specific site.

Each HWA2 size is configurable across pump, tank, fan and acoustic options. AHHAC's commercial engineers spec the exact build per project.

HWA2-A — Chiller

Cooling-focused range, suitable for comfort and industrial process cooling. BT version reaches −8 °C fluid temperatures. Available across all 8 sizes.

HWA2-AH — Reversible Heat Pump

Wide operating range and high maximum water temperature. Heats to 78 °C, cools to 7 °C — ideal for new installs and retrofitting existing chillers / boilers.

Pump options

Single AC, double AC (redundant), or single inverter pump for variable-flow, energy-saving operation. All factory-fitted.

Integrated tank

Buffer tank can be paired and integrated at factory — reduces site footprint and simplifies hydraulics. Optional on all sizes.

Acoustic options

Standard, SL (super-low), SSL (super-super-low). Down to 49 dB(A) sound pressure at 10 m — suits hotels, hospitals and inner-urban sites.

EC fans (AH version)

Optional EC-motor fans for the AH series further reduce part-load power draw and dial-down noise during shoulder-season operation.

Commercial design brief

Sizing a commercial heat-pump hot water system: what we work through first

Commercial hot water is sized very differently from a house. A hotel, aged-care home or strata building rarely struggles because of total daily use — it struggles at 7 am when everyone showers at once. Before we select an HWA2 size, we work through the same brief on every project.

  • Peak demand, not average. We look at the busiest hour and the daily profile, using metering or historical gas bills where the site has them. That tells us how much hot water must be stored and how fast it needs to recover.
  • Storage versus recovery. Heat pumps work best running steadily, so we usually pair the HWA2 with enough storage to ride through peaks rather than chasing them with a bigger machine. The factory-integrated tank option helps where plant space is tight.
  • Legionella control. Stored water in Australian commercial systems must be held hot enough to control Legionella, then tempered at the outlets. The HWA2's 78 °C capability gives comfortable margin for that, and for periodic thermal disinfection if your water-management plan calls for it.
  • Redundancy. For aged care and hospitals we design so a single fault doesn't leave residents without hot water — double pumps, or several cascaded units instead of one large one.
  • Power and structure. The HWA2 runs on 400 V three-phase, so we confirm spare electrical capacity early. On rooftops we check structural loads, crane access and vibration isolation.
  • Acoustics. We choose Standard, SL or SSL based on the distance to the nearest bedroom window or boundary, not as a fix after neighbours complain.
  • Controls and monitoring. BMS integration over BACnet or Modbus lets facility managers see temperatures, faults and energy use without waiting for a complaint.

Our Sydney strata case study shows this process on a building that moved from failing gas boilers to cascaded HWA2 heat pumps. Victorian sites can also see our commercial hot water systems Melbourne page, and our hot water and buffer tanks range covers the storage side of the design.

Written from on-site experience by the AHHAC Technical Team.

Who designs & installs this

Licensed, in-house hydronic engineers — since 1998.

AHHAC's in-house design and service team — licensed plumbers and hydronic engineers (Lic 262528C) who have designed and installed 2,400+ hydronic heating, cooling and hot water systems across Australia since 1998.

We only specify equipment after a heat-loss and system-compatibility check, then supply, install and commission it with our own licensed plumbers to AS/NZS 3500 (plumbing) and AS/NZS 5601 (gas), register the manufacturer warranty and service it for the life of the system.

  • Sized from a heat-loss & compatibility check
  • Authorised Maxa, Viessmann & Immergas supplier
  • Supplied, installed & commissioned in-house
  • Manufacturer warranty registered for you
  • Six showrooms: NSW · ACT · VIC · QLD
  • Spare parts & servicing after install
Read our case studies →Customer reviews →Editorial standards →
262528C
NSW plumbing licence
85 164 746 490
ABN (verifiable on ABN Lookup)
2,400+
Hydronic systems installed
Since 1998
Operating in Australia
AS/NZS 3500
Plumbing & drainage standard
AS/NZS 5601
Gas installations standard
Common questions

MAXA HWA2 Commercial Hot Water — FAQ

What is the MAXA HWA2 range?+
The HWA2 is MAXA's industrial range of reversible chillers and heat pumps, designed for commercial and industrial buildings. A single unit can deliver heating, cooling and hot water production with guaranteed year-round performance. The range uses scroll compressor technology and R290 natural refrigerant for the lowest possible global-warming impact in this output class.
What is the difference between HWA2-A and HWA2-AH?+
HWA2-A is the chiller-focused series — suitable for both comfort cooling and industrial process cooling, with a BT (low-temperature) version that produces fluid temperatures as low as −8 °C. HWA2-AH is the reversible heat pump version with a wide operating range and a high maximum water temperature, ideal for both new commercial installations and replacement of existing systems where higher flow temperatures are needed.
What output sizes are available?+
The HWA2 range comes in 8 sizes — 0270, 0280, 0290, 04110, 04120, 04140, 04155 and 04170. Heating capacities run from 73 kW (model 0270) up to 192 kW (04170). Cooling capacities cover 60 kW to 152 kW. The three different frame configurations house everything from twin-scroll single-circuit machines up to four-scroll twin-circuit machines.
What's the maximum hot water temperature?+
The HWA2 range is designed to achieve water temperatures up to 78 °C — suitable for a wide variety of commercial uses including comfort heating, process heating and domestic hot water production. That makes it ideal for hotels, hospitals, aged-care facilities, schools, gyms and any commercial site with significant DHW demand.
Why R290 refrigerant for a commercial unit?+
R290 (propane) is a natural refrigerant with a global warming potential of only 3 (compared to 675 for R32 or 2088 for the older R410A). For commercial buildings facing future refrigerant-phase-down regulation, R290 future-proofs your install. It's also significantly more thermodynamically efficient — the HWA2 achieves heating COP of up to 4.33 and cooling EER of up to 3.49.
Can the HWA2 work for both new builds and retrofits?+
Yes — particularly the AH version, which thanks to its wide operating range and high maximum water temperature can replace existing chillers, boilers or older heat pumps without requiring a redesign of the building's hydraulic distribution. AHHAC carries out a flow-temperature and emitter audit before specifying a retrofit unit.
What sound options are available?+
The HWA2 range is available in three acoustic configurations — Standard, SL (super-low) and SSL (super-super-low). Sound pressure at 10 m drops from 53 dB(A) on the smallest standard unit down to 49 dB(A) in SSL configuration. That makes it suitable for noise-sensitive sites such as hotels, hospitals and inner-urban commercial buildings.
What hydraulic configurations are offered?+
Each HWA2 size can be configured with a single AC pump, a double AC pump (for redundancy) or a single inverter pump (for variable flow with energy-saving control). The unit can be paired with an integrated tank on request. Hydraulic connections to the distribution system are reorientable, simplifying integration with existing pipework.
Does AHHAC install commercial HWA2 systems?+
Yes. AHHAC is an authorised commercial installer for the MAXA HWA2 range and we project-manage commercial heat-pump installs across NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD. Scope includes heat-loss / heat-gain analysis, plant selection, commissioning, BMS integration (BACnet / Modbus) and ongoing service contracts.
Last updated Content reviewed by the AHHAC Technical Team (NSW plumbing licence 262528C)Editorial standards