Vaillant Air Source Heat Pumps (Review)

Our review covering Vaillant air source heat pumps is a 10-minute read and explains: 

• Is Vaillant a good brand? 
• How much does a Vaillant heat pump cost?
• What size heat pump do you need
• Vaillant’s product range
• How much are you likely to save on your energy bills?

Short on time? Bookmark this page for later, and read our quick summary below instead.

Our Vaillant Heat Pump Review In Summary

Vaillant is a leading brand in the UK heating space, competing with major players such as: Grant, Viessmann, Ideal Heating and Worcester Bosch. 

With over 20,000 Trustpilot reviews (average of 4.1 stars), they’re also one of the most popular heat pump brands we install. 

Their range includes:

 With units available from 3.5kW-15kW, there’s a Vaillant air source heat pump available for most small-medium sized properties. 

And with both a long warranty (up to 7-years) and installation costs as low as £4,040 (thanks to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme’s £7,500 grant), they offer excellent value for money. 

Get prices for your new Vaillant air source heat pump using our clickable tool here. 

Vaillant Air Source Heat Pump Review

Online Reviews For Vaillant 

Before getting into the meat of our Vaillant heat pump review, we’ll look at whether or not Vaillant is a reputable brand. 

Vaillant is a leader in the UK heating industry. It's one of the main competitors to Worcester Bosch, with sales exceeding €3.8 billion in the most recent financial year (2023). Companies don’t get this big by selling products that are sub-par. 

Jumping over Trustpilot we can see Vaillant reviews average 4.1 stars…. 

More importantly, of the 20,000+ Vaillant reviews on Trustpilot, 78% of consumers rate Vaillant as 5-star!

We choose to install Vaillant thanks to their high product quality, long warranty and excellent after-sales care. That’s why we recommend them in the following guides: 

• Air source heat pump reviews
• The best air source heat pump brands available in the UK

You can get fixed prices on-screen from Vaillant and compare costs directly against other brands, by using our quick and easy-to-use clickable heat pump tool here. 

How Much Does a Vaillant Heat Pump Cost?

Expect a 5kW Vaillant aroTHERM to cost approximately £4,000 including installation. 

If you browse online plumbing and heating merchants, you’ll see the 5kW aroTHERM costs around £3,750 including VAT, but not including installation. 

The total cost for a Vaillant air source heat pump including fittings, a hot water cylinder and labour is likely to be well in excess of £10,000…

So, how is the total cost just £4,042?

The UK government has released a range of green energy initiatives, which include air source heat pump grants. 

The most popular air source heat pump grant? The Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Most households are eligible for up to £7,500, drastically reducing the cost of ASHP installation. 

We’ve written a detailed guide to heat pump grant eligibility here, and have an easy-to-use eligibility checker here. 

If you know you’re eligible for a government grant, simply use our 2-minute clickable air source heat pump tool here. 

That will suggest the best brand / model of heat pump based on: your property size, heat /  hot water demand and overall value for money. 

What Size Vaillant Heat Pump Do You Need?

Whilst Vaillant has a range of models available to choose from, you may end up picking a model based on the size of your property, and what kW output ASHP you need.

One way to guestimate heat pump sizing is via the size of your property (m²). Here are some examples:

• 75m²-99m²: 5kW or higher
• 100m²-199m²: 7kW or higher
• 200m²-299m²: 10kW or higher
• 300m²: 15kW or higher

Buying a Vaillant heat pump that’s too small will mean it gets overworked. That's going to increase your energy bills dramatically, and wear the pump out much faster than if it was spec'd properly by an experienced engineer.

On the flip-side, heat pumps are expensive. The bigger the pump, the more expensive it's going to be. Buying a pump that's too big is adding extra cost for no reason. 

You can use our clickable heat pump tool here to determine exactly what size heat pump you need. 

Vaillant’s ASHP Range

Vaillant produces a range of air to water / air source heat pumps suitable for both residential and commercial properties. 

Below, we’ll focus on those suitable for residential flats, apartments and houses.  

aroTHERM plus R290

The aroTHERM plus is one of the most popular air to water heat pumps we install, and comes in a range of different outputs including:

It uses a natural refrigerant (R290), which provides up to 25% more usable hot water when your heating system is set to a flow temperature of 75°C. And its R290 refrigerant helps reduce the aroTHERM plus's Global Warming Potential to 3, compared to R32 heat pumps that are 675 GWP.

Depending on your hot water and heating demand, this could power anything from a 1-bedroom flat, through to a 3-4 bedroom house. 

You'll be able to use this unit alongside the likes of a:

• uniSTOR hot water cylinder
• myVaillant Connect: An internet gateway to help connect your smart home to your heating system
• sensoCOMFORT: An easy to use smart control for your hot water and central heating

Noise levels sit at 54 dBa, similar to the noise emitted by pumps from other leading brands. 

With efficiency of up to 503% and a long 7-year warranty, the aroTHERM plus R290 is a worthy contender for your ASHP short list.

If you’re interested in learning more, read our Vaillant aroTHERM review here. 

Or, if you think the aroTHERM plus is the right air source heat pump for you, jump over to our quote form to get prices. 

aroTHERM split

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The aroTHERM split is available in the same sizes as the plus:

Again, you'll be able to power central heating and hot water for small-medium sized properties.

The split design means you'll be able to install one small indoor wall mounted unit and have a small outdoor unit fitted up to 15m away.

Like the aroTHERM plus you'll get easy access to monitoring and control via the myVaillant app; adjust your heating remotely. 

Whilst noise emitted is slightly higher than the plus model (60 dBa), the additional noise wouldn't be noticeable, given the outdoor unit can be fitted further away from your property (up to 15m). 

If you're unsure whether the aroTHERM plus or aroTHERM split is the right unit for you, speak to our ASHP experts here, or simply use our clickable heat pump tool here.

aroTHERM

The standard Vaillant aroTHERM offers a couple of outputs not available in the plus or split. 

The range includes: 

If you have anything from a 1-4 bedroom house, there's a solution to cover your hot water and heating demand. 

However, it's worth noting that all air to water heat pumps work better with large radiators. They work on a "low and slow" basis, so if you have small radiators powered by a gas boiler, they might need upgrading for your Vaillant heat pump to reach optimum efficiency.

You'll get A++ with the standard aroTHERM, with installation costs starting at £4,040 when accounting for government funding (0% VAT and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme). The combination of these schemes could save you £7,500 on your heat pump installation. 

Check out which Vaillant unit is most suitable for your property by using our clickable heat pump tool here. 

How Much Will You Save On Your Energy Bills?

Air source heat pumps are much more efficient than gas boilers. Newer gas boilers are around 94% efficient, whereas heat pumps are 300% efficient and higher in some cases. 

Savings you can expect to make can be seen in this graphic produced by the Energy Saving Trust.

If you’ve got an old gas boiler (G-rated for instance), you could see up to £280 per year in energy bill savings, partly covering the cost of your new Vaillant air source heat pump. 

But remember, that’s based on today’s gas and electricity prices. Utility prices tend to trend upwards over time, and as they do, you’re going to save more and more, reducing the payback period for your ASHP, making heat pumps an even more worthy investment. 

And that’s it for our review of Vaillant heat pumps…

Get prices for yours here, or, for further reading, Vaillant has more details (including dimensions) on their website here. 

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