Electrifying Heat to Boost Performance

SKF Group has fully electrified the heating and cooling systems at its Massa factory in Italy, replacing gas-fired boilers with reversible heat pumps. This transition, integrated with a digital monitoring system, has reduced operational energy demand and lowered costs, despite high electricity prices in Italy. The factory sources 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, utilizing a virtual power purchase agreement for a solar plant in Spain and Guarantees of Origin. This project is part of a broader SKF Group strategy that has seen similar electrification and decarbonization efforts across eleven other global factories.

• SKF Group replaced outdated gas-fired boilers at its Massa factory in Italy with electric-powered heat pumps that provide both heating and cooling, resulting in a sharp fall in energy demand since installation in 2024.
• The factory utilizes a digital metering system to monitor energy performance in real-time, triggering alarms when machines operate inefficiently so engineers can intervene to minimize energy use.
• The electrification project has yielded financial savings exceeding initial expectations, although the potential for greater savings is limited by the high cost of electricity in Italy relative to fossil gas.
• The Massa factory achieves 100% renewable electricity sourcing, with 60% provided via a virtual power purchase agreement with a solar plant in Spain and the remainder through Guarantees of Origin within the AIB framework.
• To align with SKF Group's climate targets, the Massa factory was required to achieve a 95% reduction in emissions compared to a 2019 baseline, covering both direct operational emissions and purchased utilities.

APA

Atari, B. (2026). Electrifying Heat to Boost Performance. We Mean Business Coalition. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/skf-group-electrifying-heat-to-boost-performance/

Chicago

Atari, Basil. Electrifying Heat to Boost Performance. We Mean Business Coalition, 2026. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/skf-group-electrifying-heat-to-boost-performance/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Atari |first1=Basil |title=Electrifying Heat to Boost Performance |publisher=We Mean Business Coalition |date=19 June 2026 |url=https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/skf-group-electrifying-heat-to-boost-performance/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{atari2026electrifying, author = {Atari, Basil}, title = {{Electrifying Heat to Boost Performance}}, institution = {We Mean Business Coalition}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/skf-group-electrifying-heat-to-boost-performance/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }