HVAC
Consuming more than two-thirds of the world’s energy, our cities play a crucial role in tackling the climate crisis. A considerable part of cities’ energy consumption is for heating and cooling, which means improving energy efficiency is paramount. Alfa Laval has almost a century of experience in heat transfer and recovery and aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. Let us be your partner in the transformation to a sustainable tomorrow. Together, we can decarbonize the world.
The key to sustainable cities
- Flexible, robust, and efficient energy systems make it possible to switch between different energy sources without any adjustments.
- Fossil-free energy sources that allow us to reduce the CO2 footprint.
- Heat-efficient buildings with reduced carbon footprint that save energy while catering for the needs of their occupants.
- AHRI third-party certification program offers confident assurance of the heat exchangers' design and performance in all parts of the energy system.
Energy efficiency to power net zero climate goals
Even though cities today occupy only 3 percent of the Earth’s land, they account for two-thirds of global energy consumption and 70 percent of CO2 emissions. That is why cultivating energy-efficient cities is crucial for decarbonizing the future and creating a sustainable world.
Heating and cooling are some of a city’s largest energy expenses, yet basic needs for all individuals. Since most of the energy used for heating and cooling today is produced from fossil fuels, this sector requires urgent action.
With almost a century of experience in heat transfer efficiency and recovery, Alfa Laval has the solutions ready. Our compact energy-saving plate heat exchangers can tap into various energy sources, including renewables and recyclables, to provide cost-, energy-efficient, and comfortable heating and cooling. We aim to be carbon neutral by 2030. Let us be your partner in energy efficiency and clean energy transition.
Fill in the form to download the Recommendation Paper
Energy efficiency in cities is paramount when it comes to overcoming global climate and energy challenges. According to the COP28 agreement, our energy efficiency efforts must double by 2030 if we are going to meet the Paris Agreement. Action and implementation at scale are necessary if this state of awareness is going to become a reality. That is where Sustainable Cities come in.
We know the solutions are available today. But how do we implement at scale? That is why we have brought seven key players to the table with perspectives from across the value chain, including Euroheat & Power, Engie, E.ON, Kraftringen, Ramboll, Aurubis, and Alfa Laval. Together we identified ten recommendations for cities, industry peers, and policy makers on how to accelerate the energy transition with cities as change arenas for a more sustainable future.
The 10 action points are:
- We need to consider both electricity and heat to reach net zero
- We need to consider district cooling as a way to reduce electricity demand
- We need to focus on geographical, area-based programs
- We need to promote and enable waste heat recovery and sector coupling
- We need to enable public and private risk sharing
- We need standardisation to accelerate the energy transition
- We need to increase efficiency in the district energy sector through digitalization
- We need to highlight district energy as an accelerator for economic growth
- We need academia to provide future skills and explore future solutions
- We need district heating and cooling to be a recognized sector
Flexible and efficient energy systems
1. District heating
Heat exchangers are one of the core components in district heating systems. Alfa Laval has been highly engaged in providing the best heat exchangers to this industry since the very beginning. Our long experience allows us also to provide unique application knowledge. >>Learn more
2. District cooling
Alfa Laval has been the frontrunner in developing plate heat exchangers suitable for demanding conditions in district cooling installations. Our heat exchangers are used all around the globe to provide cost-, energy-efficient, and comfortable cooling. >>Learn more
Fossil free energy sources and heat recovery
3. Waste heat recovery
Waste heat recovery and using industrial and urban excess heat are vital for sustainable comfort heating. Alfa Laval works with customers in a wide range of industries on solutions for using waste heat in new, productive, and profitable ways. Our technology also makes it possible to reuse low-temperature heat using heat pumps.>>Learn more
4. Geothermal heating
Geothermal heating uses the energy from the interior of the earth. It is environmentally friendly as it enables a reduction in fossil fuel combustion. Alfa Laval has the application knowledge and technology to efficiently integrate this source of renewable energy into district or community heating networks.>>Learn more
5. Solar thermal heating
Solar heating and concentrated solar power (CSP) coupled with thermal storage can help secure future energy supplies and deliver fresh water and heat for various uses. Alfa Laval offers state-of-the-art technologies that are key to the supply of solar power, freshwater, and heat.>>Learn more
6. Industrial heat pumps
Heat pumps are designed to produce carbon-free heat from a low-temperature heat source and convert it to high-worthy heat that can be used for heating systems for households or process industries. Alfa Laval plate heat exchangers are the perfect match for industrial heat pumps to enable carbon-free heat.>> Learn more
Energy efficient buildings
7. Energy efficient buildings
Planning a building’s heating or cooling system is a complex task. Alfa Laval offers a comprehensive range of high-quality heat exchangers and extensive experience gained from numerous completed projects worldwide.>>Learn more
8. Heat-efficient solutions for swimming pools, spas & saunas, and greenhouses
Alfa Laval provides energy-saving compact plate heat exchangers that can maintain a near-constant year-round water temperature in swimming pools and create value from low-temperature waste for greenhouse heating.>>Learn more
9. Efficient air conditioning
Regarding air conditioning, energy efficiency, together with requirements for new refrigerants with low GWP (Global Warming Potential), is essential. Alfa Laval is working closely with customers to accelerate the development and be able to offer plate heat exchangers that are designed to meet the new application regulations.>>Learn more
10. Residential heat pumps
Every year, Alfa Laval supplies hundreds of thousands of high-performance, premium-quality heat exchangers to the heat pump market. The heating world is undergoing a dramatic transformation with increasing demand for heat exchangers optimized for use with heat pumps, including Alfa Laval’s latest innovation.>>Learn more
See the numbers: HVAC energy efficiency potential
Heating and cooling are some of a city’s largest energy expenses, yet basic needs for all individuals. Since most of the energy used for heating and cooling today is produced from fossil fuels, this sector requires urgent action.
Fortunately, the design of HVAC systems offers an enormous untapped potential for improving the climate impact of our buildings. Whether it’s about more efficient solutions that reduce energy and water consumption, or the phasing out of refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP), there is much we can do already today. A heat pump, for example, is four times more efficient than a boiler for heating residential and commercial buildings, enabling incredible potential to shrink energy consumption and carbon emissions.
Imagine if we replaced all of today’s residential and commercial HVAC boilers with efficient heat pumps. The annual energy savings would be 230 TWh. That’s the same amount of electricity as that consumed every year in all of Spain!
Want to learn more about how Alfa Laval can maximize the energy efficiency of various HVAC applications? Download our infographics to see more numbers.
For a sustainable future - Carbon Capture, Green Hydrogen and Energy Storage
Decarbonization of Cities is one of the most complex challenges of our time. It will require completely transforming our global energy system, and this means that there is no single or simple solution. Beside constantly working with energy efficiency, reusing the energy already produced and for example working with excess from industries and Cities for comfort heat , it will take a combination of technologies and solutions, and advancing clean energy in order to reach the Paris agreement and climate challenges. Alfa Laval has a number of initiatives and already installed products in solutions that will be important for the future. Read more about Carbon Capture, Green hydrogen and thermal storage here.
A beacon of energy-efficient waste heat recovery
Recovering industrial waste heat with heat exchangers and using it for district heating is one of the most effective ways to improve energy efficiency on a global scale. The Aurubis Group has taken this very approach to improve sustainability in one of their smelters.
AHRI-performance-certified heat exchangers for confident thermal performance
Certification from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) is the only global third-party verification of thermal performance, giving you independent assurance that your plate heat exchanger will perform in accordance with the manufacturer’s published ratings. Alfa Laval offers AHRI-certified gasketed plate heat exchangers, brazed plate heat exchangers, and fusion-bonded plate heat exchangers.
Smart selection!
Stop the time-consuming search on websites or in catalogues! The right heat exchanger for your specific application can now be found faster than ever before - with the Alfa Laval Product Catalogue.
Consultant? System integrator?
Are you a consultant? Look here! With expertise from decades of experience in heat exchange, Alfa Laval offers knowledgeable resources for today’s heating and cooling challenges. Discover answers to complex questions on everything from energy efficiency to natural refrigerants, along with helpful tools that make it simpler to find the right technology for your application.
Energy Hunter – Sustainable solutions by hunting for waste energy
To improve energy efficiency, we all need to hunt down and reduce waste energy. Alfa Laval has the technology, expertise, and service to maximize your heat transfer efficiency. Use our new tool to calculate how much you can save today.
Digitalization for energy efficiency
Smart cities and digital intelligence could help cities to make progress toward meeting 70 percent of their Sustainable Development Goals. Digital services can already have a significant impact on heating and cooling systems in cities, making them more sustainable.
Enabling remote monitoring and performing dedicated analytics allow more precise and efficient operation, more informed decision-making, and targeted interventions. The development of more sophisticated and efficient heating and cooling systems is only possible through this digital transformation, which can provide reliable and affordable heating and cooling services to urban areas while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Making efficiency last for decades
A poorly functioning heat exchanger may affect safety, product quality and energy costs. Failure may lead to costly downtime and major losses in production. By regular and proactive maintenance of your gasketed plate heat exchanger performance is preserved and operations kept trouble-free and predictable.
We have the expertise to help you whether you experience a problem today, wish to prevent future issues or want to solve the problem yourself with our online troubleshooter.