Data centre heat reuse

What it is

Warm facility water passes through a plate heat exchanger to a heat network. Where the network needs higher temperatures, heat pumps lift the temperature at an electricity cost.

Example

Alfa Laval describes HeatChain in Finland using AlfaQ plate heat exchangers in modular data boiler sites that feed district heating, with the company reporting 50 GWh of heat delivered in 2025. That is a company claim for a specific scheme, not a general benchmark.

Policy link

Germany's EnEfG section 11 sets energy reuse factor targets for new data centres by commissioning date (see policy record de-enefg-section-11-data-centres). EU data centre reporting under the EED includes reuse indicators (eu-eed-data-centre-reporting). Check current text and dates in those records.

Sourcing considerations

Heat offtake contracts, offtaker demand profile, temperature and reliability obligations, metering boundary for ERF, heat pump ownership, and what happens when the offtaker does not take heat.

Questions to ask suppliers

• Offtaker identity, temperature and seasonal demand
• ERF metering boundary and calculation method
• Heat pump need and who pays its electricity
• Backup heat rejection when offtake stops
• Contract term and liability

Start a requirement brief