The animal hospital that scoops its heat supply from ice cream

Ever thought your ice cream treat could be helping poorly pets? Well, in southern Sweden we’re making this a reality. Working with ice cream makers SIA Glass and the Halland Animal Hospital in Slöinge, our E.ON ectogrid™ technology means excess energy is not wasted and vital resources can be concentrated on caring for sick or injured animals.

Inspired by animals of the ectothermic kind (which means they are cold blooded - like lizards and snakes), our ectogrid™ heating and cooling solution adapts to the conditions of the local environment and makes the most of the energy available in its surroundings. New energy is only added into the network when all available energy has been fully shared between connected buildings or harnessed from available sources in the vicinity. 

In this case we can capture waste heat from the neighbouring ice cream factory’s cooling process, giving the animal hospital a more affordable, sustainable and energy-efficient sustainable heat supply.

This partnership demonstrates how businesses can come together to find innovative solutions that benefit both the environment and the community. By sharing energy - and reducing the need for everyone to generate their own - resources are conserved, and costs are saved.

This allows organisations like the Halland Animal Hospital to allocate more of their resources on care for animals in need.

First developed by E.ON in Sweden, ectogrid™ is now being utilised across Europe, including right here in the UK.

On much larger scale, our project at Silvertown on London’s Royal Docks (pictured left) is currently in development.

This pioneering solution will connect the 6,000 new homes and businesses to make the most efficient use of energy, capturing excess heating or cooling from across the community and sharing to neighbouring buildings as needed.

ectogrid™ reduces the demand for energy supplied into its system by up to 75%, significantly cutting carbon emissions into the air. 

While the creation of mint choc chip or vanilla ice cream itself may not directly help poorly pets, our collaboration with the SIA Glass ice cream factory and the Halland Animal Hospital is making a contribution towards a more sustainable environment.

So, while enjoying your favourite ice cream flavour this summer, remember that collaborations like these have positive impact on the world around us.