World News

GERMANY: The cost of buying and installing a heat pump in Germany is sometimes almost twice as high as in the UK, a new report reveals.

DENMARK/NETHERLANDS: Tefcold, the Danish commercial refrigeration equipment wholesaler, has acquired Serrco, a Dutch specialist in beverage cooling including back bars and high-end keg coolers.

EUROPE: The use of renewable energy sources in heating and cooling continues to increase in the EU, with its share of energy from renewables reaching 26.2% in 2023.

POLAND: Investigators looking into the fatal domestic heat pump explosion in Chrząstowice in August, have revealed that the cause was the failure to use a non-reactive gas during pressure testing.

UK: To mark International Women’s Day, the International Network of Women in Cooling (INWIC) has officially launched a Mentorship Programme to encourage knowledge exchange and career development in the industry. 

USA: Ritchie Engineering has announced the sudden death of company president Tom Ritchie after he suffered a stroke on March 2.

CANADA: Panasonic looks to increase availability of its residential heat pumps across Canada following the signing of a distribution agreement with Emco. 

USA: Carrier has joined forces with Google Cloud in a move that the company says will enhance grid flexibility and support smarter energy management.

The INS Ranvir INDIA: The wrong refrigerant used in the air conditioning system of an Indian Navy destroyer has been blamed for a “blast” which…

USA/CHINA: UL Solutions has announced new testing capabilities for low GWP refrigerants at its laboratory in China.

USA: Wieland, the German manufacturer of copper and copper alloy tubes and components has broken ground on a $500m capital investment in its facility located in East Alton, Illinois.

USA: Daikin Applied Americas has acquired New-York-based customised HVAC solutions provider Modular Comfort Systems.

USA: Italian heat exchanger product manufacturer Lu-Ve is expanding its Jacksonville, Texas, factory with the aim to start local production of its largest dry and adiabatic coolers.

USA: Critical digital infrastructure solutions provider Vertiv is to offer Tecogen's natural gas-powered chiller technology to data centres worldwide.

GERMANY: Björn Donners has been appointed managing director of Carel Deutschland GmbH.

USA: Modine has announced $180m in orders for its Airedale by Modine data centre cooling systems from a new customer described as a leading AI infrastructure developer. 

EGYPT: Daikin Egypt has moved into a new and upgraded head office in New Cairo City. 

DENMARK: Danfoss Climate Solutions, the Danish manufacturer’s heating and cooling business, saw stable sales in 2024 at €3.1bn.

GERMANY: Customs officers from Bad Reichenhall customs office on the Austrian border recently intercepted 176 refrigerant cylinders on a semi-trailer truck carrying refrigeration equipment from Turkey.

ITALY/SWITZERLAND: Midea has created a new company, MBT Climate, through the merger of its Italian Clivet air conditioning business and the newly acquired climate division of Arbonia.

EUROPE: The European Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal and Affordable Energy Action Plan have been criticised for failing to specifically address the contribution of the heat pump sector.

EUROPE: The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) has called on the European Commission to recognise the strategic importance of the RACHP industry.

BELGIUM: A new group promoting the adoption of “natural” refrigerants has petitioned the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to restrict the use of PFAS within the European HVACR sector.

USA: Parts Town Unlimited, the OEM foodservice equipment and HVAC parts distributor, has reported a record annual revenue of $2.5bn in 2024.

CHINA: German fan and motor manufacturer EBM‑Papst is pressing ahead with the €30m expansion of its Chinese plant in Xi'an.

EUROPE: Significant price increases of around 20% were witnessed in high GWP refrigerants in the final quarter of 2024, compared to 2023.

USA: Hoshizaki America, the US subsidiary of the Japanese commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturer, has won a patents case claiming infringements of US patents on its crescent cuber ice machines.