Johnson Controls Doubles Heat Pump Output in Denmark

Johnson Controls, the smart energy specialist, is looking to the future of heating.

The American-Irish firm has officially opened its new manufacturing and testing complex in Holme, Denmark, in a move that promises to double the company's production capacity for large-scale industrial heat pumps.

The facility, which was built on the grounds of Johnson Control's previous Danish hub, comes at the right time for Johnson Controls and for Europe more broadly.

In 2026, the demand for heat pumps, both domestic and commercial, is soaring as companies, property developers and governments look to decarbonise heating in the run up to 2050.

Inside Johnson Controls' new heat pump manufacturing facility

As things stand, space heating is one of the single largest contributors to global emissions, which makes sustainable heating solutions a top priority in any climate action campaign.

This is borne out in the statistics. Data from the European Heat Pump Association shows that heat pump sales increased by 17% in the first quarter of this year, with that number expected to rise.

Johnson Controls' new site is set to meet this demand.

The expansion adds 2,300 square metres of production space to the existing site, alongside a new 1,800 square metre customer experience and test centre built to the latest European Heat Pump Association standard, EN 14511.

The test centre is designed to allow customers to run precision trials under extreme operating conditions.

That kind of capability matters more and more these days, with commercial buyers commissioning ever-larger systems for district heating networks, hospitals, universities and food-and-beverage facilities.

The site runs entirely on green energy and the project is expected to create more than 100 local jobs, with existing buildings on the campus also being modernised.

The energy context

The strategic logic behind the investment sits in a straightforward and stubborn statistic: heat accounts for more than 60% of energy consumption in European industry, according to the European Heat Pump Association.

That share of demand represents both a major cost burden and a significant emissions problem, particularly for sectors that have historically had few practical alternatives to gas-fired heating.

Modern large-scale heat pumps now offer a credible alternative, capturing thermal energy from wastewater, seawater, geothermal sources and industrial exhaust and converting it into usable heat at scale.

Johnson Controls says its heat pump installations helped customers cut heating energy costs by up to 32% and reduce emissions by up to 55% in 2025.

As with all such figures, however, results will vary considerably depending on local energy prices and grid carbon intensity.

Old site, new purpose

The Holme facility has a longer history in the heating and cooling industry than most of its European competitors.

Thomas Sabroe founded the business on the site in 1897, and the plant still manufactures equipment under the Sabroe brand today, alongside remanufactured components and marine spare parts.

"This site has served as a foundation for heating and cooling innovation since Thomas Sabroe founded the business here in 1897," says Benthe Klokkerholm, the Vice President of Manufacturing Operations for Johnson Controls' EMEA region.

"With this expansion, Aarhus further cements its role as a centre of excellence for district heating technology delivering value to customers across Europe and the wider region," she adds.

The equipment produced at Holme uses zero and low global warming potential refrigerants, aligned with EU regulatory requirements taking effect in 2027 and 2030.

The view from from the boardroom

Richard Lek, Johnson Controls' EMEA President, framed the investment in explicitly political and industrial terms, rather than purely commercial ones.

"By scaling production and real-world testing of large heat pumps, we are enabling municipalities and energy-intensive industries to electrify heat, lower costs and reduce emissions," he says, "with solutions designed, engineered, built and tested close to where they are deployed."

The opening was attended by EU Energy and Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen and Aarhus Mayor Anders Winnerskjold, a degree of political presence that reflects how central industrial heat pump deployment has become to EU energy policy.

The Holme site sits within a wider European manufacturing network that includes facilities in Nantes, Milan, Cork and Budapest.

Customers already operating Johnson Controls heat pump installations include Vattenfall in Berlin and Energie Baden-Württemberg in Germany, with projects in Hamburg, Neustadt in Holstein and Zurich due to come online in 2026 and 2027 respectively.