Electrifying process heat

Decarbonization · Industrial practice · Updated 2026-06-01

Electrifying process heat replaces fuel-fired heating — burners, fired heaters, steam from gas boilers — with electric heating such as resistance, induction or electrode boilers. It removes on-site combustion emissions and, on a clean grid, can sharply cut a process's carbon footprint.

What it is

Process heat is traditionally made by burning fuel. Electrification swaps the heat source for electricity, either directly heating the process or generating steam electrically. It ranges from small electric heaters to large electrode or induction systems, and reshapes a site's energy profile from fuel to power.

Why it is done

Combustion is often the largest source of a site's direct emissions. Electrifying it eliminates those on-site emissions and ties the process's carbon intensity to the grid, which is steadily decarbonising. The trade-offs are electricity cost, grid capacity and the loss of combustion's high flame temperatures for some duties.

How it is done

Each heat duty is assessed for temperature and the electric technology that suits it — resistance, infrared, induction or electrode boiler. Electrical supply capacity is checked, since electrification can multiply site power demand. Equipment is installed, controls integrated, and operation is tuned to manage electricity cost through timing and demand management, with performance compared to the displaced fuel.

1. Assess heat duties
2. Match electric tech
3. Check grid capacity
4. Install & integrate
5. Manage demand & cost
6. Verify emissions cut

What to watch for

Ignoring grid capacity stalls projects at the connection stage. Electrifying high-temperature duties unsuited to electric heat, or running through expensive peak periods without demand management, undermines the economics.

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Net Zero · Demand Response · Power Factor

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