March 2nd, 2026
Case Study — ASHRAE 2026 Winter Conference
A Brewery-Scale Proof Point for Zero-Emissions Steam
AtmosZero and Colorado State University tested a 650 kW air-sourced steam-generating heat pump at New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, then presented the results at the 2026 ASHRAE Winter Conference. Here’s what the data showed.
The project set out to answer three questions: does an air-sourced steam heat pump actually perform at industrial scale, how does it compare economically to a waste heat-driven alternative, and what do you learn once it’s installed and running day to day. New Belgium’s brewery in Fort Collins became the real-world test bed.
How the system works
The unit uses a cascaded heat pump cycle to deliver steam at up to 150°C (302°F), drawing on ambient air as cold as -20°C (-4°F) as its only heat source. It integrates with the brewery’s existing natural gas boilers through lead/lag controls and shared pressure setpoints, so it works alongside the current system rather than requiring a full replacement on day one.
What the installation looked like
The heat pump sits outdoors, and the only connections it needs are electrical supply, feedwater, and a steam line. Site installation was completed in a single day, and the system reached full operation within a month of arriving on site.
Performance in the field
Across a range of ambient conditions, the system held up:
- COP of 1.30 at -12.6°C (9.3°F) air temperature
- COP of 1.73 at 11.5°C (52.7°F), the primary test condition
- COP of 2.04 at 35°C (95°F)
- Steam generation up to 150°C (302°F) at a 0.25 kg/s (1,984 lb/hr) flow rate
- Startup in under 10 minutes from cold, under 5 minutes from warm
The headline result: performance held up even at -12.6°C ambient air, well below freezing, which is exactly the kind of cold-climate condition that tends to raise doubts about air-source systems.
The economics
Payback against an electric boiler came in under 2 years. Against a waste heat-driven heat pump, payback stayed under 5 years unless the facility already had access to high-temperature waste heat. In the economic comparison, a waste heat system pulling from a 90°C (194°F) source could pay back in 3.1 years, but one pulling from 35°C (95°F) waste heat stretched out to 9.6 years, and that’s before accounting for the cost and complexity of actually capturing that heat in the first place.
Installation cost was driven largely by pipe length and equipment placement. Locating the unit close to the steam header cut installation costs by up to 33%.
Lessons learned
- Locating the heat pump close to the boiler room minimizes mechanical and plumbing costs
- Waste heat recovery systems require complex integration and higher capital costs by comparison
- Competitive bidding and better documentation are clear opportunities to bring installation costs down further
Reducing scope 1 emissions starts in the boiler room.
The takeaway lines up with what this case study set out to test: air-sourced heat pumps are a practical, scalable way to get emissions out of industrial steam, including in cold climates where that’s often assumed to be a problem. Where high-temperature waste heat isn’t already sitting around waiting to be captured, an air-sourced system is the more cost-effective path.
About this study
Led by Todd Bandhauer, PhD, with Nickolas Roberts, Wale Odukomaiya, PhD, Winfred Arthur-Arhin, PhD, Jeffrey Milkie, PhD, William Ice, and Adrienne Tsier, PhD. A collaboration between AtmosZero, Colorado State University, and New Belgium Brewing. Presented at the 2026 ASHRAE Winter Conference, Las Vegas.