The German company Vaillant has developed an air heat pump that uses propane (R290) as a refrigerant. It can produce 3.4 kW to 8 kW of heat and hot domestic water up to 75 C. According to it, the heat pump maximizes savings when combined with rooftop solar energy.
The German heat pump manufacturer said its new heat pump is designed for retrofits and new buildings.
“Our new aroTHERM plus air-to-water cap pump that can also be used in retrofits because it can reach high flow temperatures,” Vaillant said on its website. “Even existing systems with radiators that require a flow temperature of up to 55 C can be used efficiently.”
Its heating power is 3.4 kW and 8 kW, dimensions 765 mm x 1,100 mm x 450 mm and 1,565 mm x 1,100 mm x 450 mm and weight 114 kg, 128 kg or 210 kg depending on the model. The coefficient of performance (COP) ranges from 3.9 to 4.6 when the water is heated to 35 C, with the outside air below 2 C and from 5.3 to 5.7 at 10 C outside air.
The pumps can produce 22-75 C warm water. The new equipment can be installed indoors or outdoors, but the 190 liter water tank must be installed indoors.
“The acquisition costs are also relatively low because aroTHERM plus is one of the cheaper heat pumps on the market,” says Valliant.
It said savings can be maximized by combining a heat pump with rooftop electricity. It also stated that the noise level varies from 54 dB(A) to 59 dB(A) during the day and 46 dB(A) at night – roughly equivalent to the sound of a refrigerator.
“If the aroTHERM plus is placed three meters away, the sound pressure level is only 29 dB(A), equivalent to the ticking of a wristwatch,” said Valliant.
