Turning waste heat into reliable energy

We catch wasted industrial heat and turn it into cooling, heating and profit.

Q: What is the difference between a low grade and high grade absorption heat pump?

A low grade (Type I) absorption heat pump combines driving heat with low-grade waste heat to deliver useful heating at up to about 90 °C with a COP around 1.7. A high grade (Type II) heat pump / heat transformer lifts medium-grade waste heat 30–50 °C higher with almost no external energy input.

Q: Where does Catch Energy work?

Catch Energy supplies and services absorption chillers, absorption heat pumps and heat recovery systems across the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.

Catch Energy supplies, commissions and services absorption chillers, absorption heat pumps and heat recovery systems for mission-critical facilities across the UK & Europe.

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13+ years OEM experience24/7 emergency supportUK + Europe coverage

13+

Years OEM Experience

50–90%

Typical Waste Heat Recoverable

24/7

Emergency Support

UK+EU

Site Coverage

What we do

Three ways we put wasted energy back to work.

Every factory, energy centre and data hall throws heat away. We engineer the systems — and the service — that capture it.

Absorption chiller for industrial waste heat recovery and cooling — Catch Energy UK

Absorption Chillers

Hot water, steam, exhaust gas and direct-fired absorption chillers that turn waste heat into chilled water — cutting electrical cooling load in data centres, hospitals and industry.

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Absorption heat pump for district heating and industrial heat recovery — Catch Energy

Absorption Heat Pumps

Low grade and high grade absorption heat pumps that upgrade low-grade waste heat into useful process heat and district heating flow temperatures — driven by heat, not electricity.

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Absorption chiller service and maintenance by Catch Energy engineers UK

Service & Maintenance

OEM-level service, commissioning, LiBr analysis, vacuum testing and 24/7 breakdown support that keeps absorption machines and complete cooling plants at design performance.

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Industrial plant with waste heat recovery potential

Why heat recovery

Industry wastes 20–50% of the energy it buys. We help you catch it.

Flue gases, jacket water, condenser circuits, compressed air systems, data hall exhaust — most sites reject enormous quantities of usable heat to atmosphere while paying for gas and electricity next door.

Absorption technology converts that rejected heat directly into chilled water or upgraded heating, with minimal electrical input, near-silent operation and refrigerants with zero ozone depletion potential.

Cut electrical cooling costs and CO₂ emissions
Improve CHP and district heating scheme economics
Meet ESG, SECR and net-zero commitments with real engineering

Read: Heat Recovery in Industries

Industries we support

Trusted where cooling and heat can never fail.

Mission-critical experience across the UK and mainland Europe.

Data Centres

Hospitals

District Heating

Energy Centres & CHP

Manufacturing

Pharmaceutical

Universities

Hotels

Commercial Buildings

Knowledge hub

Learn how absorption technology earns its keep.

Practical engineering articles on absorption chillers, absorption heat pumps and industrial heat recovery — written by the people who service them.

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FAQ

Common questions about absorption technology

Clear answers for engineers, energy managers and project teams evaluating heat-driven cooling and heat recovery.

What is an absorption chiller?

An absorption chiller produces chilled water using heat (hot water, steam or exhaust gas) as the driving energy instead of an electric compressor. It is ideal where waste heat is available and can cut electrical cooling demand dramatically.

What is the difference between a low grade and high grade absorption heat pump?

A low grade absorption heat pump combines driving heat with low-grade waste heat to deliver useful heating at up to about 90 °C with a COP around 1.7. A high grade heat pump (heat transformer) lifts medium-grade waste heat 30–50 °C higher with almost no external energy input.

Where does Catch Energy work?

We supply and service absorption chillers, absorption heat pumps and heat recovery systems across the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.

Do you provide maintenance and emergency support?

Yes. We offer planned maintenance contracts, LiBr analysis, vacuum testing, commissioning and 24/7 breakdown support delivered by OEM-trained engineers.

When should I choose an absorption chiller instead of an electric chiller?

Choose absorption when you have available waste heat, steam, hot water or CHP exhaust, or when the site is grid-constrained. Absorption converts that heat into cooling with very low electrical input.

Have waste heat? Let's turn it into value.

Tell us about your site and we'll respond with a clear, engineer-written assessment — usually within one working day.

Request a quotation 24/7 Emergency line

Contact

Talk to an engineer, not a call centre.

Emailservice@catchenergy.co.uk
CoverageUnited Kingdom & mainland Europe
RegisteredLondon UK

Products

Absorption chillers, absorption heat pumps & heat recovery equipment

Heat-driven machines that convert your waste heat into chilled water or upgraded heating — supplied, commissioned and supported for life by Catch Energy.

Interactive tool · Find your solution

Heat Recovery Solutions Explorer

Not sure which machine you need? Select the heat source you have available and instantly see what you can produce — and the technology that fits.

From you can produce:

Want the right fit for your site? Speak to our specialists

Absorption chillers

Cooling powered by heat, not electricity.

LiBr/water absorption chillers use your waste heat, hot water, steam or exhaust gas as the driving energy — delivering chilled water with a fraction of the electrical demand of conventional chillers.

Hot Water

Single and double-effect machines driven by hot water from CHP engines, district heating, solar thermal or process waste heat.

Driving heat80–180 °C hot water
Capacity100 kW – 12 MW
Typical COP0.7 – 1.4
Best forCHP, district energy

Steam

Double-effect steam-fired machines for sites with existing steam infrastructure — high efficiency cooling from process steam.

Driving heatSteam 1–10 bar(g)
Capacity200 kW – 15 MW
Typical COP1.2 – 1.45
Best forProcess industry

Exhaust gas driven absorption chiller recovering flue gas heat

Exhaust / Direct-Fired

Machines fired directly by engine or turbine exhaust, or by gas burner — perfect for trigeneration and off-grid cooling.

Driving heatExhaust 250–550 °C
Capacity150 kW – 10 MW
Typical COP1.2 – 1.4
Best forTrigeneration / CCHP

Absorption heat pumps

Upgrade low-grade waste heat into useful energy.

Absorption heat pumps recover heat that would otherwise be rejected — from flue gases, cooling circuits or sewage — and lift it to useful temperatures for district heating and process use.

Low grade

Low Grade Heat Pump

Combine a high-temperature driving source with low-grade waste heat to deliver a large flow of medium-temperature heat — COPs around 1.7 mean roughly 1.7 kW of useful heat for every 1 kW of driving heat.

Output tempUp to ~90 °C
Typical COP1.6 – 1.8
Best forDistrict heating, flue gas recovery

High grade

High Grade Heat Pump

Take medium-temperature waste heat and lift a portion of it to a higher temperature — with almost no external energy input. Ideal where process waste heat exists but higher-grade heat is needed.

Temperature lift+30 – 50 °C
Typical COP≈ 0.45 – 0.5
Best forProcess industry upgrades

Heat recovery equipment

The complete heat recovery plant room.

Alongside absorption machines, we supply and integrate the equipment that captures, moves and rejects heat around your site.

Heat Exchangers

Plate, shell & tube and plate-&-shell exchangers for liquid-to-liquid heat recovery duties.

Flue Gas Economisers

Condensing and non-condensing economisers recovering heat from boiler and engine exhaust.

CHP Heat Recovery

Jacket water and exhaust circuits engineered to feed absorption chillers and heat networks.

Cooling Towers & Dry Coolers

Heat rejection plant matched to absorption machine condenser water requirements.

Controls & BMS Integration

Sequencing, optimisation and remote monitoring across the whole heat recovery system.

Water Treatment & Pumps

Complete balance-of-plant: pumps, dosing, filtration and pipework packages.

Not sure which machine fits your heat source?

Send us your waste heat temperatures and flow rates — we'll tell you honestly what's feasible and what it could save.

Get a feasibility assessment

Services

Specialist service for absorption chillers & heat recovery plant

OEM-level maintenance, commissioning and 24/7 support delivered by engineers who work on these machines every day — not a general HVAC contractor.

Absorption chiller services

Everything an absorption machine needs, under one roof.

LiBr Analysis & Sampling

Solution concentration, inhibitor levels, alcohol content and contamination checks — the chemistry that decides machine life.

Vacuum Testing & Restoration

24-hour decay tests, purge system checks, leak location and vacuum restoration to protect capacity.

Annual & Planned Maintenance

Structured maintenance regimes tailored to your machine, duty and site — from single visits to full contracts.

24/7 Breakdown Service

Emergency response for lost cooling — diagnosis, temporary measures and permanent repair.

Tube Cleaning

Mechanical and chemical cleaning of absorber, condenser and evaporator tubes to restore approach temperatures.

Leak Detection

Helium and pressure-based leak location on shells, valves and gasketed joints.

Performance Testing

Capacity verification, COP measurement and heat balance analysis against design data.

Controls & Upgrades

Panel upgrades, sensor replacement, BMS integration and control logic optimisation.

Overhauls & Repairs

Major works: pump rebuilds, heat exchanger retube, solution replacement and shell repairs.

Commissioning

Pre-commissioning checks, first start-up, performance verification, operator training and documentation.

Remote Diagnostics

Remote monitoring, trend analysis and expert diagnostics — problems spotted before they trip the machine.

Spare Parts Supply

Genuine and equivalent spares for major absorption chiller brands, held and sourced across Europe.

Beyond the machine

Complete cooling plant management.

One contract, one point of contact for the entire plant room: electric chillers, cooling towers, dry coolers, pumps, water treatment, heat exchangers, BMS and pipework — delivered with trusted specialist partners under our quality control.

Plant health audits with budget and asset-life planning
KPI reporting and maintenance planning
Subcontractor management and quality control

Discuss your plant

Industrial cooling plant management services

Knowledge hub

Absorption chillers, heat pumps & heat recovery — explained properly

Field-tested engineering knowledge on absorption chillers, absorption heat pumps and heat recovery in industries. Written by engineers, optimised for humans.

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Need help with your absorption plant or heat recovery project?

Catch Energy services absorption chillers and heat pumps across the UK & Europe — and we answer technical questions for free.

Talk to an engineer