Aldi supermarket shelves HFCs for R290 heat pumps

Since 2016, Vaillant has supported Aldi with heating solutions at seven of its regional distribution centres in the United Kingdom.

Following their successful rollout, Vaillant's aroTHERM plus heat pumps are now being installed at all new Aldi stores across the UK, as part of the exclusive five-year contract.

Depending on the size of the site, each store will see between two to five aroTHERM plus 12kW units installed, and to further ensure system efficiency, Vaillant's sensoCOMFORT heating controls have also been specified.

Following successful installation, each of the aroTHERM plus heat pumps will be commissioned and serviced by Vaillant under the contract's 10-year service agreement, to ensure the operational efficiency of each unit is maximised.

As part of the contract, Vaillant's aroTHERM plus heat pump has also been installed at Aldi's new eco-concept store in Leamington Spa, where the unit provides both heating and cooling.

The store, which opened in September 2022, was designed to significantly reduce carbon consumption, with sustainable building materials and design changes which are estimated to reduce life-cycle emissions by up to two thirds.

National Property Director for Aldi UK, George Brown said the supermarket has been carbon neutral since 2019, which has seen Aldi transition to natural refrigerants.

"Recently, we invested in adding chiller doors to our new and refurbished stores, which will reduce each store's energy consumption by approximately 20 per cent. However, this meant we needed a sustainable heat source in our new sites to replace the existing heat-generating fridge packs. As a sustainable low-carbon option, the decision to specify Vaillant's aroTHERM plus was made due to the natural refrigerant in the units," he said.

Launched in 2020, the aroTHERM plus uses R290, which has a Global Warming Potential of just three. By using this HFC-free refrigerant, the aroTHERM plus achieves a 60 per cent reduction in refrigerant charge, resulting in a carbon footprint of just 0.83kg* - equating to a lifetime impact equivalent to a 15km car journey.

In addition, the aroTHERM plus can achieve hot water flow temperatures of up to 75 degrees, meaning the water is stored in the cylinder at a usable temperature without the need for a backup heater. 

Commercial director for Vaillant, Steve Cipriano, said the move towards a net zero future continues to gather pace, and decarbonising heat within the commercial setting will play a significant part in achieving this ambition.

"The installation of our aroTHERM plus pumps within the retailer's recently-launched eco-concept store serves as a shining example of how low carbon heating technology, combined with other sustainable building materials, is delivering the retail stores of the future," Cipriano said.

The Vaillant Group is an international family-owned company with a heritage of more than 141 years in providing customers with energy-saving and easy to operate solutions for heating, cooling and hot water.

In its core business of heating technologies the company is the second-largest European manufacturer in this sector. In addition, the Vaillant Group is also active in ventilation and air-conditioning technology markets.

The company develops and manufactures its products and services at sites in the United Kingdom as well as Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Turkey and China.

Last year the company developed its first 100 per cent hydrogen boilers at its R&D centre located within its German headquarters in Remscheid.

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