Head to head

Solar thermal process heat vs Industrial heat pumps

Two routes to the same tonne of CO2 — at very different cost, speed and risk. The honest sequencing answer is usually «cheaper one first, it funds the other».

Side by side

	Solar thermal process heat	Industrial heat pumps
Abatement cost	€20–60/t	€20–80/t
Addresses	10–30% of LT heat (climate-dependent)	30–60% of low-temp heat
Payback	4–8 yr	3–6 yr
Best for

Verdict: start with Solar thermal process heat — lower €/t and faster payback; bank its savings toward the structural step. Sequencing beats either/or: every tonne the cheap measure removes shrinks the expensive one's required size.

Full page: Solar thermal process heat → · Full page: Industrial heat pumps →

How this page is built: heat-loss figures follow ASTM C680 / ISO 12241 (the method behind our public calculators); facility emissions from Climate TRACE & EU ETS verified data across 30,000+ industrial sites; the 2026–2034 schedule is Regulation (EU) 2023/956, not a forecast. Published by Inzonex Research. Spotted an error? Tell us — we correct on evidence.

Inzonex removable modular insulation on industrial equipment

Cut the tonnes at the source

Hot industrial equipment? Cut the heat loss.

Boilers, kilns, heat exchangers, valves and steam lines lose energy continuously. Inzonex makes Inzonex Modular Insulation — snap-fastened modules engineered per temperature tier, not generic off-the-shelf jackets:

Up to 96% less heat loss from insulated surfaces
Surface temperature ≤45 °C — touch-safe for workers (EN ISO 13732-1)
6× faster maintenance access vs standard insulation jackets and metal cladding/boxes — unclips and refits in minutes, no destruction
Inspectable — opens for corrosion-under-insulation checks, then refits like-new (generic jackets often don't survive removal)
Typical payback under 2 years — some sites 9–11 months

See Inzonex process-equipment insulation →Run the savings study

Every tonne you stop emitting is a tonne you don't have to report: cutting heat loss is a measurable, auditable Scope 1 reduction that flows straight into EU ETS, CBAM and your ESG / CSRD disclosures — not an offset, an actual emission cut.