Aldi to install propane heat pumps in new stores
Heat pumps using R290 (propane) are to be installed at all new UK Aldi supermarkets in a new deal with Vaillant.
Vaillant UK, the UK arm of the German manufacturer, has been working with Aldi since 2016, when its AroTherm heat pump was installed at Aldi’s headquarters in Warwickshire. The retailer has installed the air-source heat pumps at seven of its regional distribution centres in total.
Following the success of these units, the AroTherm Plus heat pumps will now be installed at all new Aldi stores across the UK, as part of an exclusive five-year contract.
Depending on the size of the site, each store will see between two to five 12kW units installed, along with, Vaillant’s SensoComgort controls. The units will be commissioned and serviced by Vaillant under the contract’s 10-year service agreement.
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.
“Aldi UK has been carbon neutral since 2019, which has seen us transition to natural refrigerants,” said Aldi UK national property director George Brown. for Aldi UK, said. “Recently, we invested in adding chiller doors to our new and refurbished stores, which will reduce each store’s energy consumption by approximately 20%. However, this meant we needed a sustainable heat source in our new sites to replace the existing heat-generating fridge packs.”