The WINTERSTEIGER site was connected to Energie Ried’s geothermal network in 2017. This eco-friendly district heating system uses hot groundwater to supply heat to an area covering 22,000 square meters. This meant that two gas boilers, with outputs of 1,200 MW and 750 MW respectively, could be removed.

An ideal solution: returned heat keeps new hall up to temperature.

The “Seedmech Technology & Service” building, which was constructed in 2022, gets its heating from surplus heat recovered from the surrounding production facilities: Thanks to low-temperature heating based on concrete core activation, a 1,500-square-meter space can be kept warm with a returned heat at no more than around 60 °C. This generates a heat output of 110 kW – with no need for any extra installations. The relatively low temperature of the heat return, which is subsequently fed back into the geothermal network, means that heating costs are reduced overall because the district heating rate is cheaper: The lower the return temperature, the more efficient the geothermal network and therefore the lower the costs for the consumer.

This innovative solution not only supplies an extra building with environmentally friendly heating, but it cuts the total costs for the company too.