HEINEKEN Manchester: heat recovery for a brewery hot-water network
New operating disclosure in September 2026; commissioned in June 2025. Public-source reference, not independently metered by this site.
Engineering data
- Case type
- Public-source case — figures from published reports, papers, or vendor materials
- Data status
- Public-source case
- Data source
- HEINEKEN UK, 9 Sep 2026: https://www.heineken.co.uk/media/heineken-uk-cuts-manchester-brewery-carbon-emissions-intensity-by-42 — GEA design announcement, 27 Jul 2023: https://www.gea.com/en/news/corporate/2023/gea-supplies-heineken-with-heat-pumps// — Reviewed 2 Nov 2026.
- Reviewer / date
- Editorial (Open Thermal AI) · 2026-11-02
- Industry
- Food
- Source temperature
- Not disclosed
- Sink temperature
- 90°C
- Temperature lift
- Not applicable
- Heating or cooling duty
- Not disclosed
- Architecture
- Ammonia heat pumps with heat-recovery and distribution pipework.
- Result status
- Owner reports 33% less on-site gas and 42% lower CO₂ intensity (kg CO₂/hl), July–December 2025 versus July–December 2024.
- Key risk
- 42% is emissions intensity, not energy savings. Six-month comparison; 90°C is a design value. COP and annual hours undisclosed.
- Existing system
- Gas-fired steam boilers serving brewing and packaging.
- Refrigerant
- R717
- COP
- Not disclosed
- Annual energy / emissions savings
- See the six-month comparison in result status; no annual cost saving calculated here.
- Estimated payback
- Not disclosed in the sources reviewed.
Project background
This retrofit illustrates changing the heat-distribution temperature as part of electrification.
Narrative inputs
The 90°C figure and ammonia refrigerant come from GEA’s 2023 design announcement, not a published operating temperature log.
Heat pump solution
Recovered heat feeds the new water network; existing process equipment also required modification.
COP & savings
The owner’s 9 September 2026 release reports post-commissioning results while optimisation continues. The original 45% gas-saving forecast is not substituted for the reported result.
Investment / ROI notes
The owner reports £28.2 million investment, including £3.7 million public support. Payback and net annual energy cost are undisclosed.
FAQ
What should I check at my own site?
Record source and demand temperatures, simultaneous loads, backup duty and electricity use across the full system. Recalculate costs with local tariffs; this reference is not a performance guarantee.