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

22nd June 2026

Green group calls for end to subsidies for EVs using R1234yf

GERMANY: The influential German environmental aid association Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) is calling on the German government to end subsidies for electric cars with R1234yf refrigerants in their AC systems.
22nd June 2026

Daikin agrees $8.5m penalty over hazardous PTAC

USA: Daikin has agreed to pay an $8.5m civil penalty for failing to immediately report that one of its US-made Amana packaged terminal air conditioners could overheat.
21st June 2026

Korea project to improve refrigerant management

KOREA: The Korean Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute has announced an initiative to improve the country's HFC refrigerant management.
21st June 2026

Ammonia leak kills 7 and sends 70 to hospital

INDIA: Seven people are reported to have died and over 70 hospitalised following an ammonia gas leak at a seafood factory in Tamil Nadu.
20th June 2026

Year-long trial proves electric TRU reliability

UK: Following a year-long trial of Sunswap’s Endurance solar and battery-powered transport refrigeration unit by the TIP Group, the trailer and truck hire company has recorded a 100% uptime.
19th June 2026

Daikin Applied builds new $30m US training centre

USA: Daikin Applied has broken ground on a new $30m training facility in Plymouth, Minnesota.