Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 Combi Boiler Review (Prices & Alternatives)

If you’re looking for a new boiler, you’re on the right track by researching the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 combi. In this review, we will cover the model’s features, warranties, and alternatives.

We’ll also let you in on the 2024 Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 price (UK), and help you decide if this boiler is worth it. Read on to learn more.

Is the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 Right for You?

There’s no point boring you with the full review of the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 if it’s not suitable for your property.

This combi boiler is designed for properties that have 1-3 bedrooms, a central heating system with 8 radiators or less, and reasonable hot water demand — i.e. only one shower or bath running at once.

Combination boilers heat hot water on demand, so they have no need for a water storage facility, such as a cylinder. That’s a good thing in terms of space-saving, but you really need to make sure that the hot water supply will suffice.

Now, if you live in a smaller property than the one described above, the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 24 is an option.

However, if your home is much larger, or you have high hot water demand, you should look for a higher-capacity boiler, or a different boiler type altogether. You can learn more about different boiler types by reading our guide here.

Not sure which size boiler you need? Use Heatable’s clickable form and the most suitable boilers will pop up at the top of the screen.

Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 Review

In our review below, we’ll walk you through the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 prices in the UK, its warranty coverage, features, and alternatives.

EcoTEC Pro 28 Features

Below, we’ll list the key features of the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28.

Energy Savings

What most people don’t consider are the energy savings they can achieve by installing a new boiler.

Old boilers AREN’T efficient, and new boilers are constantly improving their energy efficiency. The EcoTEC Pro 28 has an efficiency rating of A, partly thanks to its 1:4 modulation range. This translates to 89.3% efficiency; in contrast, old boilers can be 60% or below, meaning for every pound you spend on gas, 40p get wasted.

The Energy Saving Trust have done their research. Their review of boiler replacement energy savings shows you could pocket up to £840 per year by installing an efficient boiler with reduced energy consumption.

I’m not sure about you, but that’s something I can deal with 😊

Awards

Make what you will of Which? Best Buy awards, but the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28, has one.

More importantly, it’s Quiet Mark approved; no more sleepless nights due to a ridiculously noisy boiler. And, that can’t be said for all new combi boilers.

Compact Dimensions

There might be a bit of confusion here. Vaillant advertise their EcoTEC Pro 28, as having “compact dimensions”, but it’s not technically a compact boiler.

Compact boilers will fit in a standard sized kitchen cupboard. At 720mm x 440mm x 335mm, the Pro 28 WON’T. This means you’ll have to hang your combi boiler on the wall. If you’d prefer a compact boiler, check out our review of the Baxi 600 compact combi.

Heating Output

The heating output on the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 is relatively low. It sits at 23.4kW, so anything but a small property will need a larger boiler. Essentially, it’s comparable to Worcester’s 25i, which is the smallest in the i boiler range.

The EcoTEC Pro’s output is backed by a hot water flow rate of 9.6 litres per minute, which is also tailored to smaller properties.

Frost Protection

Most combi boilers have some element of integral frost protection. If you’ve had boiler problems during extremely cold parts of the year, there’s a good chance it was because of a frozen condensate pipe.

In fact, the majority of call outs for repairs during winter is due to a simple condensate blockage. Luckily, these ice blockages can be prevented with frost protection.

With the EcoTEC Pro 28, you’ll get integral frost protection, so your boiler should keep on working without fail on the coldest winter days. It also means that you won’t have to pay an emergency call out fee for an engineer to fix it (always a bonus).

Controls for the EcoTEC Pro 28

The type of controls you want installed with your boiler is yet another thing to consider. A cheap thermostat could cost as little as £20. A smart thermostat, such as the Hive or the Nest, could cost £200 or more.

Vaillant actually produce their own smart thermostat, the vSmart. It’s worth considering; not only does it give more flexibility over your heating system, it’s also a chance to save extra on your energy bills, too.

Vaillant EcoTEC Pro Prices (UK)

Let’s face it: Price is a big deciding factor when you’re choosing a boiler. And, Vaillant aren’t exactly known for being the cheapest on the market.

That said, the cheaper boilers out there tend to have short warranties, and for good reason: the build quality is sub-par.

Currently, prices for the Vaillant boiler EcoTEC Pro 28 sit around the £980-1,050 mark (boiler cost only). There’s a good chance your installer is going to get a much better deal, given they probably buy 10-20+ boilers per month from the local merchants.

My advice? Get some quotes from local installers, and get them to purchase the boiler on your behalf. Then, you can compare them back to back with Worcester prices here.

Installation Prices

So, you’re looking at around £1,000 for the boiler, but the Gas Safe engineer will need other parts to complete the installation. We’re talking about things like a boiler filter for protection, copper pipe, a flue system, copper fittings, and so on.

All together, materials for the job are likely to cost around £1,250. We’d expect to budget a minimum of £750 on top of that for the cost of installation. However, you might find a local installer to do it cheaper.

In total, you’re looking at around £2,100 to install an EcoTEC Pro 28, inc VAT. That’s similar to what you’ll pay for a Worcester, which come with a 10-year warranty from Heatable.

Of course, this figure will vary, depending on the deal your installer gets on the boiler, not to mention where you live in the country (Londoners typically pay more for everything).

Vaillant EcoTEC 28 Alternatives

If you’re wondering “are Vaillant boilers any good?” the answer is: yes, they are. That said, you should still explore your alternatives before committing to such an expensive purchase.

I’m not really sure where to start here; there are SO many alternatives.

A few that spring to mind come from other boiler reviews we’d written, such as the Baxi 600, Worcester 4000, and Ideal Logic Plus. Realistically, you’ll be able to get those installed at a similar cost.

Personally, I’d get quotes from a local installer for a Vaillant, then compare that directly to alternative companies. And, one great alternative that’s recently surfaced comes from Heatable.

We actually went through the quotation process and found that a Worcester Greenstar 4000 30kW (comparable, if not higher output than the Pro 28), comes in at around the same. And you’re getting a 10-year warranty on top of that!

With Heatable, you don’t need a site visit, nor do you need to supply an email address, phone number, or join a mailing list to get a quote list. You can get a quote in less than 3-minutes on Heatable’s website.

Warranty

Within reason, a boiler is usually as good as the warranty suggests.

Is the manufacturer offering a 2-year warranty? There’s a good chance you’ll want to avoid purchasing that appliance. We’d never buy a boiler that’s got less than 5-years warranty.

Funnily enough, Vaillant only offer 2-years as a warranty. But, that can be increased right up to our 5-year minimum, simply by registering it through Vaillant Advance. Problem is, you could get a Worcester with double the warranty (10-years) from Heatable, which seems like a no brainer to us.

Servicing

It’s not something most people think about when buying a new boiler, but the ease with which a boiler can be serviced and repaired has a bearing on costs.

Not only is the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 relatively easy to install, it’s easy to service, too. Any Gas Safe engineer will tell you that having easy to remove side panels, and a push-fit flue, makes life a lot easier. This, in turn, makes your life a lot cheaper.

Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28 Review Verdict

If your heating engineer suggests installing a Pro 28, I certainly wouldn’t argue with them. A lot engineers prefer one brand over another.

However, based on the purchase price, installation costs, and overall warranty, I think there may be better options.

The likes of the Baxi 600 for those looking for a compact boiler, the Ideal Logic Plus with a 7-year warranty, and a range of Worcester boilers at a similar price (with a 10-year warranty), mean that this Vaillant model should not be the only one you consider.

What Are Your Options?

Before you decide, you need some solid quotes on the table. Typically, local installers are the cheapest, so that’s a good place to start.

You can get multiple quotes from boiler installers here. Make sure you get itemised quotes so you can compare them back-to-back (i.e. are they fitting a boiler filter, will they hot-flush the system).

Then, for further comparison’s sake, I’d head over to Heatable to see how their prices compare. You can get quotes online (without even putting in your email/phone number). As they’re a new kid on the block for online boiler comparison, there’s a good chance you’ll get a cheap deal on your new boiler from a top brand.

In fact, we wrote a big guide on boiler replacement costs, which compares quotes we received from Heatable and Help-Link. There’s even a quick guide on prices from British Gas. Probably worth checking out, before you fork out £2,000 or more for a new boiler.

What’s Next?

Thanks for reading our review of the Vaillant EcoTEC Pro 28. Hopefully, this post gives you an idea of what the Pro 28 is about, its installation prices, and the range of alternatives that are out there.

Got questions about boilers? Drop a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Previous

Next