Meta’s Odense data center sends 45 megawatts of heat to more than 12,000 homes

Meta’s data center in Odense, Denmark, sends server heat into the city’s district-heating network, providing warmth for more than 12,000 homes.

Server operations release almost all of their electricity as heat, with one industry estimate putting the share near 90%. Cooling accounts for roughly 40% of a data center’s total energy use, and most facilities release that low-grade heat into the air.

At the Odense site, water from the municipal heating network passes through cooling units and absorbs heat from the servers. Ammonia heat pumps at a nearby plant then raise the water temperature to between 70 and 75°C before it returns to the wider distribution system.

Ramboll designed the recovery system for district-heating operator Fjernvarme Fyn. Ramboll’s figures show roughly 45 megawatts flowing directly into Odense’s network, making it Denmark’s largest heat-pump installation. Annual recovery is about 215,000 megawatt-hours.

Fjernvarme Fyn confirmed in 2025 that Meta’s surplus heat output was equivalent to warming about 11,000 households. The figures vary by project phase, timeframe and counting method. The system also depends on Odense’s existing district-heating network, because heat cannot travel far without significant losses.