District Heating

Harnessing heat decarbonization and decreasing energy bills

Refrigeration & heating - District heating
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels is a key goal in managing climate change and GEA takes its role in this process seriously. Our proven heat pump technology upgrades low-value heat from sources like sea water, ground source water, sewage water, air or industrial waste water. By creating high-value heat of up to 90˚C, the energy can be returned as useful energy in the district heating system with zero CO2 emission and reduced energy costs.
White, residential radiator with hand adjusting the thermostat knob
Background

District heating is a system for distributing heat generated in centralized locations through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating. The heat can be obtained from various sources including heat-only boiler stations, geothermal heating,  cogeneration plants burning fossil fuels, biomass or waste incineration. With municipalities aiming for low-carbon energy, there is a move to replace fossil fuel-based heating systems with more environmentally friendly heating systems. Heat pumps are installed either as stand-alone systems or in connection with other low-carbon heating technologies for optimized heat production.

Heat sources and applications for district heating using GEA heat pumps

District heating systems draw from a range of sources in order to supply heat energy for various applications via heat pump-based technology.

Applying a Core Expertise — Naturally

GEA’s district heating solutions evolve from its long and proven history as a global leader in the industrial refrigeration space where compression serves as the core technology. Industries served include food, beverage, dairy, chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, natural gas and marine.

District heating applications also rely on this core competency, often in the form of GEA’s compressor-driven heat pump technology.

GEA RedAstrum heat pump

The GEA RedAstrum heat pump is utilized in district heating systems as well as industrial processes.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

GEA’s Holistic  Engineering Solutions platform (NEXUS) — supportive of our company’s maxim, engineering for a better world — is driven by our passion to deliver solutions that reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints.
Furthermore, GEA’s commitment to providing sustainable solutions includes the use of the most efficient heat pump technology with natural refrigerants such as ammonia (NH), which has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) rating of 0.
As such, GEA’s approach to district heating aligns perfectly with our commitment to our customers and our planet.

Hands cradling small green plant in soil
Installed district heating system in Malmö, Sweden, using four GEA heat pumps

Four GEA ammonia heat pumps drive the district heating system in Malmö, Sweden, which heats about 100,000 homes.

Watch as this custom-engineered GEA heat pump unit is loaded for shipment and rolls out to Canada for a district energy installation.

Malmö

How GEA heat pumps are decarbonizing district heating in Sweden

Read more about how GEA heat pump solutions turn waste heat from the sewage and waste incinerator plants into valuable heating for Malmö homes in Sweden!
Bunhill 2 Energy Centre heats London homes with GEA heat pump technology

Customer case

GEA heat pump upgrades waste heat from the London Underground to warm homes, two leisure centres and a school in Islington

The revolutionary Bunhill 2 Energy Centre – the first of its kind in the world – provides a blueprint for decarbonising heat in potential future schemes in London and around the world, reducing heating bills and carbon emissions while improving air quality and making cities more self-sufficient in energy.
Decarbonizing district heating with heat pump technology

On-demand webinar

Decarbonizing district heating with heat pump technology

Refrigeration & heating - Service

GEA Service

Improve the life cycle cost of your plant and equipment

We work alongside our customers in close partnership, supporting them throughout the full life cycle of their plant and equipment to ensure lasting business success.
GEA's Sustainable Engineering Solutions

NEXUS - GEA's Holistic Engineering Solutions

A unique integration of process solutions and cooling & heating demands, resulting in lower energy consumption, minimized operating costs and reduced carbon footprint.
Heat to Cool - Using heat pumps to cool our warming planet

Heat to cool our planet for generations to come

If the ambitious targets set in the historic Paris Agreement are to be achieved, we need to accelerate heat decarbonization and create a better world for our future generations.

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