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Heat Recovery · Process Heat · Sanitation

Industrial Heat Pumps
and Heat Recovery

Every refrigeration plant on your site is already a heat pump — it just throws the heat away at the condenser. Recovering that energy into wash-down water, dock and underfloor heating or defrost is usually the cheapest heat a food processing or cold storage facility can buy.

Discuss Heat Recovery → (902) 292-7979
♥ Thermal Energy, Used Twice

You Already Paid
to Make That Heat

A plant running refrigeration and a boiler at the same time is buying energy twice. Industrial heat pumps and heat recovery close that loop: discharge gas desuperheating for the first slug of high-grade heat, condenser heat recovery for larger volumes of warm water, and purpose-built high-temperature ammonia or CO₂ heat pumps where the process needs genuinely hot water. These are not scaled-up residential units; they are industrial machines built for continuous duty.

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    Sanitation & Process Water Desuperheaters and heat recovery vessels preheat wash-down and CIP water using heat the condenser was rejecting anyway, cutting the boiler load rather than replacing the boiler.
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    Underfloor & Dock Heating Freezer slabs need underfloor heat to stop the ground beneath them freezing and heaving. Recovered condenser heat is the natural source, and it is available whenever the plant runs.
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    Integrated With the Plant You Have Heat recovery only works if the controls balance heating demand against refrigeration duty. We integrate with your existing ammonia, CO₂ or glycol system rather than bolting on an island.
Ask About a Heat Recovery Study →
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Skid-mounted industrial condensing unit with twin fans
Heat You Already Bought Recovered,
Not Rejected

Industrial condensing unit on a purpose-built skid

♥ Common Questions ♥

Straight Answers

How do industrial heat pumps differ from residential ones?

Scale, duty and refrigerant. An industrial machine runs continuously at high load, uses ammonia or CO₂ rather than a domestic HFC blend, and is built around screw or industrial reciprocating compressors with proper oil management. More importantly, an industrial installation usually has a guaranteed heat source — the rejected heat of refrigeration that is already running — where a residential unit is pulling heat out of cold outdoor air. That difference is why the economics are so much better.

Will it work with our existing ammonia or CO₂ system?

In most cases yes, and integrating with existing plant is usually cheaper than a standalone heat pump. The common routes are a desuperheater on the compressor discharge, a heat recovery condenser in series with the main condenser, or a separate high-temperature stage lifting rejected heat to a useful temperature. What determines feasibility is not the refrigerant but whether your heating demand and your refrigeration load coincide in time. That is the first thing we measure.

What water temperature can we actually get?

Desuperheating captures the hottest part of the cycle and produces genuinely hot water, but only a modest volume relative to the plant duty. Condenser heat recovery gives far more volume at a lower temperature, which suits preheating rather than final duty. A dedicated high-temperature ammonia or CO₂ heat pump can lift water into the range sanitation systems need. A practical design usually stacks all three and leaves the boiler trimming the last few degrees instead of doing all of the work.

What is the payback on heat recovery?

It is driven by how many hours a year your heating demand overlaps with refrigeration running, and by what you currently pay for that heat. A plant that washes down daily and runs refrigeration continuously is a strong case; one with occasional heating demand is a weak one. We size the opportunity from measured data — logged heat demand against logged refrigeration duty — before anyone commits to equipment, because the wrong answer here is an expensive machine that rarely runs.

How much maintenance does an industrial heat pump need?

Much the same as the refrigeration plant beside it: regular oil analysis and level checks, heat exchanger and coil cleaning, water treatment and scale control on the condenser circuit, annual refrigerant and leak checks, and compressor overhaul at the manufacturer-specified running hours. Water-side fouling is the item most often neglected, and it degrades performance quietly — a scaled heat exchanger looks perfectly normal and transfers a fraction of what it should.
♥Our Work

Real Jobs, Real Halifax Homes

See All Our Work →
  • Skid-mounted industrial condensing unit with twin fans and compressor

    Industrial condensing unit on a purpose-built skid

  • Ceiling-mounted evaporator units installed in a new commercial walk-in cooler room

    Walk-in cooler evaporators, commercial fit-out

♥ From the Blog

Read Up Before You Call

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What Halifax Homeowners
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★★★★★

My friend recommended Mark's company to me for heat pump installation services and all I can say is that if you are installing air conditioning units in Halifax you must go to him. He has a very flexible schedule and can serve clients as quickly as possible. The service was very professional from quotation to installation and it was a very pleasant experience.

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Wancang Zhang Halifax, NS
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★★★★★

We had an urgent heat pump issue at our home and contacted Mark, he responded promptly and scheduled a check in within an hour. Once he arrived he quickly diagnosed the problem and proposed a range of solutions. He also took the time to explain each option, ensuring I understood the implications and costs involved. Will happily recommend to others!

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Jim Xi Halifax, NS
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★★★★★

I had an urgent issue with my Heat pump system and contacted Ace Refrigeration for assistance. I must say, their response time was impressive. Within a short period, a technician arrived at my home and immediately got to work. Mark is a truly experienced and skilled person in town. Highly recommended.

XC
Xing Chen Halifax, NS
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