Finding
A heat pump is the only electric heater that beats gas on running cost in most US markets, and only below about 200 °C
Industrial heat pumps move heat rather than make it, delivering three to five units of heat for each unit of electricity. With US industrial power at roughly three to four times the price of natural gas per unit of energy, that multiplier is what lets electric heat compete. Roughly half of industrial process heat is needed below 200 °C - food, beverage, paper, chemicals and drying - which is the heat pump's territory.
Performance falls as the temperature lift rises. Below 80 °C a heat pump can deliver four to six times its electricity as heat; at 150-200 °C, producing low-pressure steam, the multiplier drops toward two and the compressors and refrigerants get specialized. Commercial units are common to about 150 °C, a few vendors reach 200 °C, and above that the job passes to thermal batteries and resistive heaters.
The best projects pair a heat pump with a waste-heat source - cooling water, compressor heat, dryer exhaust - so the lift is small and the multiplier high. The constraints are capital cost, plant integration and a short list of suppliers for large compressors and heat exchangers, mostly in Europe and Japan; multi-megawatt units also need transformer and piping upgrades that take longer than the heat pump itself.
Temperature bands
Where industrial heat pumps fit
| Band | Uses | Sectors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 80 °C | Space heating, hot water, washing, cleaning-in-place | Food, beverage, buildings | Mature; many vendors |
| 80-150 °C | Pasteurization, brewing, evaporation, drying, chemical preheat | Food, dairy, paper, chemicals | Commercial |
| 150-200 °C | Low-pressure process steam | Chemicals, paper, food | Early commercial; few vendors |
| Above 200 °C | Higher-pressure steam and hot air | Chemicals, refining | Emerging heat pumps; thermal batteries |
Vendors
Industrial heat pump makers
Steam-generating and high-temperature units first, then the established makers of industrial heat pumps up to about 150 °C. Active companies first, then pilots, research groups and companies that exited.
| Company | Products | HQ | Technology | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heaten | HeatBooster heat pumps to 200 °C | Norway | Piston compressor, high-temperature cycle | active |
| Kobelco Compressors | Steam-generating heat pumps (SGH series) | Japan | Steam output to about 175 °C | active: Kobe Steel group |
| MAN Energy Solutions | Multi-MW CO2 heat pumps (HOFOR, Esbjerg district heat) | Germany | Isothermal CO2 compressor | active |
| Piller Blowers and Compressors | MVR steam compressors and blowers | Germany | Mechanical vapor recompression | active |
| Siemens Energy | Industrial heat pumps above 150 °C | Germany | Turbo compressor heat pumps | active |
| Skyven Technologies | Steam-generating heat pumps with mechanical vapor recompression | US | Heat pump plus MVR | active |
| Spilling | Steam compressors for mechanical vapor recompression | Germany | Steam screw and piston compressors | active |
| AtmosZero | Boiler 2.0 heat-pump steam boiler | US | Air-source heat pump steam generator | pilot |
| Company | Products | HQ | Technology | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalian Bingshan | Industrial heat pumps and refrigeration | China | Ammonia and CO2 compressors | active |
| GEA | Ammonia and CO2 industrial heat pumps | Germany | Natural refrigerants | active |
| Johnson Controls (Sabroe) | Ammonia heat pumps for food and process plants | US | Ammonia screw and piston compressors | active |
| Mayekawa | Natural-refrigerant heat pumps (Eco Sirocco, Unimo) | Japan | CO2 and ammonia | active |
| Ochsner | Industrial heat pumps to about 130 °C | Austria | Synthetic and natural refrigerants | active |
| Yantai Moon (Moon Environment) | Industrial heat pumps and refrigeration | China | Ammonia and CO2 compressors | active |
Sources
Sources and scope
- Scope
- Industrial Heat Pumps
- Sources
- Vendor data; IEA and Fraunhofer ISI on industrial heat by temperature; EIA industrial electricity and gas prices
- Updated
- October 2026