Heat recovery technology has featured strongly in most major inductrial energy conservation programmes, and significant penetration of heat exchange equipment into processes, for the express purpose of energy efficiency, has been achieved. Barriers, both technical and economic, still exist however, preventing more widespread adoption of heat exchangers. Problems associated with fouling and corrosion remain, and the temptation to adopt more sophisticated energy recovery methods such as organic Rankine cycle machines had led to some overambitious installations with dubious economic benefits. The prospects for cost-effective low temperature heat recovery are improving due to a combination of developments, including the novel use of materials and new heat exchanger concepts. A number of peripheral aids, in particular improved design procedures including process integration, and the use of artificial intelligence techniques, can help users select appropriate state-of-the-art equipment. In this paper, the role of techniques for enhancing heat (and mass) transfer will be discussed. Process intensification, perhaps normally associated with compact chemical plant unit operations, has, the author believes, an important future role to play in enabling heat exchanger size and costs to be reduced. Enhancement of transport processes, by techniques which are largely established in other heat transfer areas or in other technologies, is a necessary step to achieving compact systems.