Energy-saving heat pump wins Royal Dairy Innovation Award
Arkaya Energy's Kumodak Sharma receiving the award from Tim Downes © RABDF An energy-efficient milk cooling and water heating system has won a top prize for innovation in the dairy industry.
Arkaya Energy’s Milk Source Heat Pump scooped the 2026 Royal Dairy Innovation Award, which recognises innovations with clear practical benefits for dairy farmers, at Dairy-Tech, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, on 4 February.
See also: 5 new products to improve dairy efficiency
The technology works by capturing heat from milk as it passes through the plate cooler, without disrupting existing parlour setups.
This heat is then circulated back through the system using a standard water pump, before being extracted by proprietary heat pump technology and transferred into water.
Hot water, cold milk
By the end of each milking, the system delivers high-temperature hot water for wash-down and cleaning and chills milk to the required 4C, helping farms improve energy efficiency and reduce running costs.
Head judge and RABDF council member Tim Downes praised the breadth and quality of submissions received this year.
He said the winning technology impressed judges with its ability to help dairy farmers cut both energy costs and carbon emissions.
“The judges were particularly impressed with how the system could be easily installed, delivering savings equivalent to 127kW per day on a new installation. The scale of the savings, combined with the professionalism and approach, really blew us away,” he said.
The judging panel also included previous winners Anthony and Jane Marsh from Hoof Count and RABDF council member Karen Halton from Halton Farm.
Shortlisted finalists
Entries were assessed on their promotion of sound agricultural practice, introduction of new ideas and systems, and their ability to communicate effectively with farmers.
Two other finalists were shortlisted for the 2026 award.
Antler Bio’s EpiHerd system uses herd gene expression to provide targeted insights into health, yield and resilience.
And Hanskamp’s CowToilet system is designed to reduce ammonia emissions by collecting and separating urine from slurry in real-time.