Johnson Controls’ Heat Pumps to Supply Zürich with Recycled Waste Heat

Heat pump

SWITZERLAND: Johnson Controls has announced its role in delivering green heat to the city of Zürich through a new waste incineration project led by Zürich’s municipal utility, ERZ (Entsorgung & Recycling Zürich). The initiative involves expanding the facility with a third process line and incorporating heat recovery from flue gases. Johnson Controls’ heat pumps will channel the recovered energy into the district heating network, supplying additional heat to around 15,000 homes once operations begin in 2027. Notably, the project will be one of the largest in Europe to utilize ammonia, a refrigerant with zero Global Warming Potential (GWP), in a large-scale heat pump application. According to the European Heat Pump Association, heat represents more than 60% of industrial energy consumption in Europe, and there is substantial potential to address this demand using ambient or waste heat sources. In fact, estimates indicate that wasted heat in the EU could cover the entire energy requirements for central heating and hot water. Heat pumps, capable of harvesting energy from land, water, air, or industrial processes, are typically three to four times more efficient than conventional heating systems.

Source: Johnson Controls