Brewers are turning to electrified heat and steam systems to reduce emissions and energy costs, with major names such as Guinness and New Belgium among the early adopters.
The shift marks a growing move away from gas boilers, which remain a dominant source of industrial emissions. Companies like AtmosZero and Skyven are supplying high-efficiency heat pump systems that can deliver steam for processes such as cleaning, sterilising and packaging — all central to beverage production.
Heat pumps transfer heat rather than generate it, which improves efficiency and lowers operating costs despite higher electricity prices. AtmosZero’s Boiler 2.0 system extracts heat from the air to create industrial steam without burning gas, and can be integrated alongside existing boilers rather than replacing them entirely.
The technology targets facilities with steam demands between 1 and 5 megawatts of thermal capacity. This modular approach allows manufacturers to trial electrified steam production without major infrastructure changes, reducing both capital risk and operational disruption.
New Belgium Brewing installed one of AtmosZero’s units earlier this year, with the system capable of producing up to one tonne of steam per hour. The company expects the equipment to handle up to 40% of its total steam requirements, cutting emissions while easing reliance on fossil fuels.
As electrification technologies mature, more beverage producers are expected to follow, viewing heat pumps as a practical step toward net-zero targets and greater energy resilience.