Brussels, Belgium, September 23, 2026 – A high-efficiency waste heat recovery project in Sauze d’Oulx, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy, is demonstrating how district heating operators can unlock more value from existing cogeneration assets. Using heat pump technology from Trane®, a leading global provider of thermal management solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies, Meco Sauze Srl is capturing low-temperature waste heat from the cogeneration plant and upgrading it for use in its district heating network. Delivered in collaboration with ETS (Ecotermica Servizi SpA), the project is increasing heating capacity, improving overall plant efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

The plant includes three cogeneration sections, each with electrical power of 1,334 kW. To improve system efficiency, one Trane XStream™ RTWF 125 HE heat pump was installed on each cogeneration engine, enabling low-temperature waste heat to be recovered and upgraded to a usable temperature for district heating distribution. Now fully commissioned and operational, the project is expected to deliver a return on investment in less than two years.

From Waste Heat to Measurable Business and Environmental Benefits
For Meco Sauze, the project was driven by the need to improve the efficiency and sustainability of an existing cogeneration-based district heating plant. While the facility was already generating electricity and useful heat, part of the available thermal energy from the intercooler remained too low in temperature to be used directly in the network.

The challenge was not simply to add equipment, but to find a dependable way to recover and upgrade low-grade heat without compromising the reliability required for district heating operation. Because this was the customer’s first installation of this kind, both proven technology and application support were key considerations in the selection process.

Trane was selected for the strength of its high-temperature screw heat pump technology and for its ability to work alongside ETS and Meco Sauze to develop a solution tailored to the site’s operating conditions. The installed RTWF units recover low-grade energy at approximately 30°C and raise it to around 80°C, the minimum usable temperature required for district heating distribution. Because the units are paired with the cogeneration plant, they can also be powered by electricity generated on site.

“District heating operators are looking for scalable ways to improve performance and make better use of the energy already available within their systems,” said Fabio Ritucci, Equipment Sales Area Manager at Trane. “Projects like Sauze d’Oulx show how heat pump technology can unlock additional value from existing cogeneration infrastructure, supporting both decarbonisation goals and long-term asset value.”

“The value of this project was in designing the right solution for the specific operating conditions of the plant, not an off-the-shelf approach,” said ing. Gianluca Giustetto of ETS. “By working closely with Trane and Meco Sauze, we were able to develop a solution that could be integrated effectively into the existing district heating system and turn a technical opportunity into a practical improvement for the network.”

“For us, this project is an important step in the ongoing development of our district heating network,” said ing. Maurizio Cassano of Meco Sauze. “It gives us a way to strengthen the plant’s contribution to the network by making better use of energy that was previously more difficult to utilise. It also supports our operational objectives and reinforces our sustainability profile in the market.”

For more information about Trane’s portfolio of thermal management solutions, visit Trane Europe.

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About Trane
Trane – by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator – creates comfortable, energy efficient indoor environments for commercial and residential applications. For more information, please visit trane.eu or www.tranetechnologies.com.

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