European projects use crematorium heat to warm homes and schools
New energy recycling systems in Scotland and Finland aim to reduce the carbon intensity of funeral rites through heat recovery.
European countries are increasingly using heat from crematoriums to provide warmth for residential and public buildings, according to a Times of India report. These systems aim to lower the environmental impact of funeral services by recycling energy that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.
In Aberdeen, Scotland, a school currently under construction will receive nearly 1 gigawatt-hour of heat annually from the city's crematorium. Ian Davidson, chief executive of Aberdeen Heat & Power, stated that the facility previously released most available heat into the atmosphere. The system has received full planning permission and is expected to be operational by February 2027.
A new electric crematorium in Kangasala, Finland, is scheduled to open in 2028. This facility will connect to a district heat network that supplies hot water and heating to more than 6,500 homes. Timo Heikkilä, an energy and building systems consultant at Thenco Oy, noted that Finland is working to reduce natural gas usage for heating.
The technology has been used in Redditch, England, since 2013 to warm a local swimming pool. A heat exchanger captures warmth from the facility's gas-fired ovens and transfers it through an underground water loop. This process has saved the Redditch Borough Council tens of thousands of pounds in annual fuel costs.
While a 2024 study in the journal Energy suggested that tapping all UK crematoria for waste heat might only meet 1 per cent of national heating needs, experts note the value of decarbonising heat. Hannah Rumble, an associate at the University of Bath’s Centre for Death and Society, said recycling heat could influence why people choose specific crematoriums.