Vaillant auroTHERM flat solar collector: use the sun’s warmth efficiently and easily

• High efficiency for optimum use of the sun’s warmth
• Flexible mounting options due to various alignment variants 
• Easy, fast and safe installation due to pre-assembled components

Gelsenkirchen/Remscheid, 6 June 2008 – The new, flat solar collectors for using the warmth of the sun which are now being manufactured for the first time by Vaillant Group itself will from 1 July be sold by Vaillant as part of the auroTHERM series. Compared to the predecessor model produced by a supplier company, the new flat collectors stand out for their improved efficiency and an enlarged collector surface along with lower weight. Other benefits of the new collectors are their increased flexibility in installation and the much lesser time and effort required for assembly due to pre-produced mounting systems, as well as the appealing design.

Cut heating costs and emissions with solar collectors
The flat collectors of the auroTHERM series consist of a highly selective, coated aluminium absorber on which a copper pipe of about 20 metres in length is welded in zigzags. The absorber captures the sun’s rays and warms up the heat-conducting liquid circulating in the copper pipe. This liquid then passes the warmth via a heat exchanger to a storage unit for heating water and supporting heating. Due to the collectors’ high efficiency factor, house owners can on a yearly average cover with them about 60 per cent of the energy needed for heating water free of charge via the warmth of the sun. In summer, water can in fact be heated completely by the solar thermal installation. If the sun’s warmth is also used to support heating, the heating appliance has to work less, especially in the transitional periods. That can save about 25 per cent of the heating energy a year, and likewise save costs and carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, customers benefit due to the enlarged gross collector surface from the best possible take-up of the promotional grant options.

Depending on the expenditure involved, even the basic grant for the installation of a solar thermal unit for a new building adds up to €6,000. In the case of old buildings, the same sum, using the example of €6,000, comes on top. Promotional grants also apply to the exchange of a heating appliance or a circulating pump. The German federal states, municipalities and local energy utilities tempt consumers with further funds. For instance, customers of the GEW Rheinenergie utility in Cologne are paid a lump sum of €510 for the installation of a solar thermal unit. Low-interest loans by the government-owned KfW bank also facilitate environment-friendly re-equipping.

Fast installation due to simple mounting system
Vaillant Group produces the flat collectors in different equipment and alignment variants both for vertical and horizontal installation. This means that the space available on the roof can be best utilized due to the collectors’ versatile combination options regardless of the form of the roof. The flat collectors of the auroTHERM series are supplied with a new mounting system that considerably simplifies the installation work. The roof anchors are pre-fitted with a screw and spring system that is available for all common roof forms and roofing. The mounting system consists of only a few individual parts and can be installed fast and easily. The hydraulic linking of the collectors is done via a new plug-in socket system, which also needs no tools and guarantees top reliability in later operation. The collectors’ optimum format and their reduced weight also make mounting easier. Due to the new, simplified mounting system, our installer partners only need, for example for the fitting of two collectors on a sloping roof, about 90 minutes.

Elegant design on the roof
The auroTHERM solar collectors’ elegant design means they fit harmoniously in all roof areas, to which the low mounting height contributes. Also, the collectors are conceived with an unobtrusive black frame profile for fitting on flat and sloping roofs, as well as frameless for an especially aesthetic integration in the roof.


Vaillant offers its customers worldwide environment-friendly and energy-saving heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems that increasingly are using renewable energies. The product portfolio encompasses solar thermal and photovoltaic installations, heat pumps, wood pellet boilers, ventilation units for low-energy houses, highly-efficient heating systems based on fossil fuels, and intelligent controls.

Contact
Dr Jens Wichtermann
Head of Corporate Communications
Vaillant Group
D-42850 Remscheid
Phone: +49 2191 18-2754
Fax: +49 2191 18-2895
Mobile: +49 175 2951810
jens.wichtermann@vaillant.de
www.vaillant-group.com