Operation and optimisation of biomass district and local heating plants, including hydraulic balancing of customer systems
Frühauf Thermocycling GmbH
Millstatt (AT)New on Amplifa
About Frühauf Thermocycling
Frühauf Thermocycling GmbH was founded on 04.07.2016 and, among other things, operates the Millstatt biomass heating plant, which has been in operation since December 2016 and now trades under the name HSH Nahwärme Millstatt GmbH. The company specialises in the optimisation of district and local heating plants as well as the hydraulic balancing of customer systems, as applied in Millstatt to all heat customers. As of 10/2025, the heating plant supplies more than 165 district heat consumers, including public buildings, hotels, residential complexes and single- and two-family houses, with CO2-neutral heat from wood chips. The network comprises around 8 km of pipeline length with heat losses of under 10 %. A 75 kW photovoltaic system covers around 70 % of the plant's own electricity demand, and heat recovery from the condensing system achieves 20 %. The heating plant replaces more than 900,000 litres of heating oil annually and reduces CO2 emissions by almost 2,000 tonnes per year. In 2018, the plant was awarded for outstanding efficiency by the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism (klimaaktiv).
- Site
- Millstatt, Austria
- Processes
- Optimisation of district and local heating plants, Hydraulic balancing of customer systems, Consulting for biomass heating plants
- Materials
- Forest wood chips, Photovoltaics
- Certificates
- klimaaktiv award for outstanding efficiency (2018)
- Founded
- 2016-07-04
- Industries
- District heating/Local heating, Biomass heating plants
- 01
Operation of the biomass heating plant
- 02
Fuel supply (wood chips)
- 03
Heat generation incl. condensing heat recovery
- 04
District heat distribution into the network
- 05
Hydraulic balancing of customer systems
- 06
Optimisation and expansion of the network
Technology and Processes
Forest wood chips
Fuel of the biomass heating plant, currently around 13,000 SRM annual demand.
Photovoltaics
75 kW peak system providing around 70 percent self-sufficiency for the heating plant.
Locations
Millstatt
ATBiomass heating plant (operated; today HSH Nahwärme Millstatt GmbH)
- Materials
- Forest wood chips
- Wood chip heating plant
- Condensing system with heat recovery
- 75 kW peak photovoltaic system
- District heating network with double pipe (approx. 8 km)
Inside the production
Industries
Additional services
Quality and Awards
The heat losses of the network are under 10 % thanks to double pipe and maximum insulation. In 2018, the Millstatt heating plant was awarded for outstanding efficiency by the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism (klimaaktiv).
| Evidence | Millstatt |
|---|---|
| klimaaktiv award for outstanding efficiency (2018) |
History
- 2016
Foundation of Frühauf Thermocycling GmbH on 04.07.2016; commissioning of the Millstatt biomass heating plant in December 2016
- 2018
Award of the Millstatt heating plant for outstanding efficiency by the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism (klimaaktiv)
- 2025
Millstatt heating plant supplies over 165 district heat consumers (~170 customer connections), delivered volume 8.5 GWh (as of 10/2025)