World News

Industry news and insights from Europe and around the World

UK News

Latest news and developments in the United Kingdom

Products

Keep up-to-date with the latest new products and technology

Features

General articles, applications and industry analysis

Airedale 1234ze chiller at John Lewis

John Lewis York1

John Lewis York2UK: Airedale claims to have installed the first ever UK manufactured, BSI approved chiller incorporating the new low GWP HFO refrigerant R1234ze.

The installation at the new £15m John Lewis shop, which opened in York on April 10, is the first of its kind to roll off Airedale’s Leeds production line.

Airedale’s TurboChill TCC R1234ze, which incorporates the oil-less Danfoss Turbocor compressor, is being employed to help keep customers cool at the new 92,000ft2 department store. 1234ze chillers have previously been employed by the John Lewis group to provide refrigeration in its Waitrose supermarkets, the first in Bromley, Kent, in 2011.

TurboChill-FreeCoolSaid to be the most sustainable of the 41 John Lewis shops, the York store also features a range of sustainable design elements, such as energy-efficient cooling, low energy lighting and a 96.5kWp solar array on the roof to generate renewable energy.

By constant monitoring of temperature differences, Airedale’s control software permits concurrent free cooling – a mixture of free cooling and mechanical cooling – switching on the mechanically-driven compressor only when extra cooling is required.

Airedale’s R1234ze TurboChill free cooling (TCF) range (right) was released at the end of last year alongside a 1,600kW dual circuit R134a TurboChill. The TurboChill is said to offer twice as much free cooling as a thermosiphon free cooling system and can deliver free cooling for up to 95% of the year.

Latest News

15th July 2026

Testing AC in real world conditions

JAPAN: The General Group is to build a demonstration house to test air conditioning systems for high-performance homes, shifting from individual rooms to whole house air conditioning.
15th July 2026

Daikin X series combines HP cooling and heating

BELGIUM: Daikin Europe is to launch the X Series, a mixed heat pump system combining air-to-air heating and cooling, hydraulic heating such as underfloor heating, and domestic hot water production. 
15th July 2026

Bookings open for IOR Dinner 2027

UK: Bookings are now open for the 127th The Institute of Refrigeration Annual Dinner, taking place on 25 February 2027 at the Hilton London Bankside.  The evening’s programme of awards will,…
14th July 2026

Mitsubishi Electric buys Dutch contracting groups APAC and COMPAC

ITALY/NETHERLANDS: Mitsubishi Electric Hydronics & IT Cooling Systems (MEHITS) has acquired all shares of the Utrecht-based HVAC sales, installation and maintenance company APAC Group and its sister company COMPAC.
14th July 2026

Japanese fridge firms face cartel allegations

JAPAN: The Japanese Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is reported to have raided the offices of three refrigeration companies over suspected bid-rigging and cartel practices.
14th July 2026

Mahan is president of Modine’s new HVAC segment

USA: Modine has appointed Michael Mahan as president of its newly-formed commercial HVAC (CHVAC) business segment.