What a heat pump is and why it works so well in Mallorca
An air-source heat pump takes energy from the outside air and transfers it to the water in your heating system or hot-water cylinder. For every kWh of electricity it delivers between 3 and 5 kWh of heat. With Mallorca’s mild winters, performance is excellent all year round.
One unit does three jobs: heating in winter, cooling in summer and domestic hot water. That means the boiler, the oil tank and the electric water heater can all go, leaving a single machine.
How much you save compared with oil or propane
A home needing about 10,000 kWh of heating a year spends around €2,000 a year with an oil boiler, with heating oil at €1.70/l (its current price in the Balearics), plus the annual boiler service. The same demand, with a heat pump delivering four times the energy it uses, needs about 2,500 kWh of electricity: roughly €500 a year. That is a saving of around €1,500 a year, 75 %. And if part of that electricity comes from your solar panels, heating costs you about €350 a year.
With solar panels you generate much of that electricity yourself and the bill drops much further. That is why we recommend looking at both systems together: a heat pump is the best load a solar home can have.
2026 grants: FACTOR, CAE and income-tax relief
The Balearic government’s FACTOR 2026 programme funds air-to-water heat pumps at €700 per kW (70 % of a €1,000/kW reference cost): around €5,600 for an 8 kW unit, up to €25,000 for private individuals. If you replace an oil, gas or propane boiler with a Vaillant unit, Energy Saving Certificates (CAE) add around €2,000. And for your main or rented home you can deduct 40 % of what you pay (up to €3,000) from income tax for works finished by 31 December 2026: we issue the energy certificate before and after. If that certificate shows 30 % lower consumption or an A or B rating, the deduction can rise to 60 %: up to €9,000, received over three years (up to €3,000 in each income-tax return). Underfloor heating and radiators are not grant-eligible.
We prepare the documentation and file the application for you, along with RITE registration and the installation certificate.
Vaillant PLAN6000YA financing: start saving before you pay
As a registered Vaillant installer, we offer Vaillant’s PLAN6000YA: Vaillant advances €6,000 of the installation and you repay it in 12 interest-free instalments of €500 (0% APR). The first instalment is due from the sixth month, when the heat pump is already saving you money every month.
It combines with the FACTOR grant, Energy Saving Certificates and the income-tax deduction, which arrive later. Valid until 31 December 2026 and subject to approval by CaixaBank Payments & Consumer. We handle it together with the rest of the paperwork.
What the price depends on
We do not quote a catalogue price because it varies a lot from house to house. What matters most is:
- The output required, which comes from floor area, insulation and location (coast, inland or Tramuntana)
- Whether emitters have to be changed or the existing radiators can be kept
- The hot-water cylinder and the plant space available
- The distance between the outdoor unit and the plant room, and the building work needed
- Whether the existing electrical installation is enough or has to be upgraded
Vaillant: German engineering since 1874
We install the quiet, efficient Vaillant aroTHERM plus range with flow temperatures up to 75 °C, which often allows existing radiators to be kept when replacing a boiler.
- aroTHERM plus monobloc heat pumps
- uniTOWER hot-water and hydraulic units
- sensoCOMFORT controls and myVAILLANT app
Saunier Duval: the Vaillant Group’s other leading brand
We are also certified Saunier Duval installers. Part of the Vaillant Group, the brand has decades of heating experience in Spain, and its GeniaAir range is an excellent alternative when a project calls for a different output, format or budget. In your study we recommend whichever suits your home best.
- GeniaAir Max monobloc heat pumps (R290)
- Split systems with hydraulic module and hot-water cylinder
- The same service: permits and grant paperwork handled
Will it work with my radiators, or do I need underfloor heating?
A heat pump performs better the lower the water temperature. With underfloor heating it works at its best; with fan coils, very well; and with radiators it works too, though slightly less efficiently because it needs hotter water.
The aroTHERM plus reaches 75 °C, so in many Mallorcan homes the existing radiators can stay. We check this during the survey, radiator by radiator, and if one is undersized we replace that one with a low-temperature model rather than redoing the whole system.
Hot water, pool and summer
The system also produces domestic hot water, with a cylinder sized for the people in the house and their habits, including the anti-legionella cycle. In summer the same system cools through underfloor cooling or fan coils.
If you have a pool, it can be heated with a heat exchanger, extending the swimming season by several months using the midday solar surplus.
Noise, siting and neighbours
The outdoor unit goes on a terrace, courtyard, garden or roof, on anti-vibration mounts and with space to breathe. We choose the position with your bedrooms and your neighbours’ in mind, and the units we install have a night mode that lowers the sound level further. The Vaillant aroTHERM plus uses natural R290 refrigerant and, according to Vaillant, goes down to 25.6 dB(A) at 3 metres.
In apartment buildings we check what the statutes say and prepare the documentation for the owners’ meeting when needed.
New build and renovation
In new builds we design the system from the start with the architect: heat loads, emitters, plant spaces and code compliance. Renovation is a different job: making use of what already works, dealing with the flue that is removed, adapting the consumer unit and carrying out the work while the family lives in the house.
We design the complete system: heat load calculations, choice of emitter (underfloor, radiators or fan coils), hot-water cylinder and the link with your solar system.