Industrial process heat

Heat pump
vs. gas boiler.

Screen process hot water, wash water, drying, food processing, pasteurization, boiler feedwater, waste-heat recovery, refrigeration heat recovery, low-temperature steam replacement, and other low- to medium-temperature loads.

Where the opportunity lives

Process heat, not just space heat.

01Process hot water
02Wash water
03Drying
04Food processing
05Pasteurization
06Boiler feedwater
07Waste-heat recovery
08Refrigeration recovery
09Low-temperature steam
10Process heating

Process assumptions

Model a steady annual process load. Replace defaults with metered thermal demand and supplier performance data.

01 Temperature and load
100°F temperature lift
02 Energy and performance
03 Capital and finance
Estimated annual savings
—

Energy, demand, and maintenance included

Simple payback—
Project IRR—
Project NPV—
CO₂ reduction—
Existing system

Natural gas boiler

  • Gas consumption—
  • Annual energy cost—
  • Annual maintenance—
  • Annual CO₂—
Electrified system

Industrial heat pump

  • Electric consumption—
  • Estimated peak demand—
  • Electric energy cost—
  • Demand charges—
  • Annual maintenance—
  • Annual CO₂—
Net capital—
Thermal load—
Load factor—
Heat pump COP—
Economic break-even

Test the energy-price ratio.

These thresholds isolate the energy-price pivot while holding performance, demand, capital, and maintenance assumptions constant.

Electricity must remain below—
Gas must remain above—
Lifecycle ownership cost
10-year heat pump TCO——
15-year heat pump TCO——
20-year heat pump TCO——

This is a screening model. COP must come from vendor performance at the required source and sink temperatures; demand assumes the annual thermal load is spread across entered operating hours. The IEA Heat Pump Monitor 2026 identifies energy prices, high load factors, and simultaneous heating and cooling as central to industrial heat-pump economics.

Future case study

Simultaneous heating + cooling

A food-processing facility can reject refrigeration heat outdoors while burning natural gas to make hot water. Heat recovery changes the boundary: one electric input can support useful cooling and useful heating.

Refrigeration load

Heat currently rejected outdoors

→
Recovered process heat

Upgraded for wash water or process duty

Conventional refrigeration electricity$420,000
Conventional boiler gas$310,000
Conventional total$730,000
Heat-recovery heat pump electricity$460,000
Gas avoided$280,000
Cooling benefitIncluded
Illustrative annual benefit$270,000