Cheesemaker captures heat from milk straight from cows, halving power use and saving $93,750 a year

Instead of taking heat from the air, the ground, or water, the technology uses the warmth in fresh milk during milking.

A British cheesemaker that has been operating for almost 200 years has found an unexpected way to cut energy waste: capturing heat from milk straight after it leaves the cow.

Three of the seven milking parlors at Barber's Farmhouse Cheesemakers now use "milk-source" heat pumps , which the south-west England company introduced in 2024, the Guardian reported. The system says it has cut electricity use in half, reduced annual costs by about £70,000 ($93,750), and lowered carbon pollution by nearly 66 tons each year.