A hot opportunity to cut emissions
Process heat is the steam, hot water or hot gases used in industrial processing, manufacturing and space heating. It is New Zealand’s second biggest opportunity to reduce energy-related carbon emissions after transport.
About half of New Zealand’s process heat demand comes from burning coal or natural gas.
Businesses can reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint by running boilers and process heat systems efficiently, or switching to innovative new heating technology.
Process heat in New Zealand
- 35%
of our energy is used in process heat
- 55%
of process heat comes from burning fossil fuels, mainly coal or gas
- 68%
of process heat is made using boiler systems
New technology gives you more options
Heat systems technology is always evolving – now more than ever, as businesses and governments around the world look for effective ways to reduce their carbon footprint. For example heat pumps have made tremendous progress and are a valid option for most applications using heat below 100°C – and fuelled by our low carbon electricity.
Bring in an expert
A process heat specialist can work with you to lock in savings for years to come. They can undertake a comprehensive study of your current and future requirements, and present the most energy efficient solutions. Look for an expert who:
- looks at the entire system, not 1 or 2 components
- Investigates ways to reduce or eliminate heating
- is qualified to work on all relevant equipment and install metering
- offers analysis such as boiler efficiency testing and load profile analysis
- can provide other services if needed, such as remote monitoring, operator training or heat recovery.
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Co-funding for process heat projects
If you spend more than $200,000 a year on stationary energy, you may be eligible for co-funding for an energy audit, feasibility study or systems optimisation related to process heat. Larger energy users can also be co-funded for industrial design advice, an energy graduate or EECA’s Energy Transition Accelerator programme. -
Get your process heat project across the line
A big energy management project such as switching to a renewable fuel boiler needs a strong business case. It should include a rigorous assessment, investigation and analysis that will give confidence that the project will be a success.