World News

USA: LG air conditioning users in the US could now earn rewards from their units following a tie-up with residential energy management company OhmConnect.

ROMANIA: Twenty-six cylinders of refrigerant hidden in a minibus have been seized by Romanian border police as the illegal traffic across the border with Ukraine continues. 

GERMANY: The patents and other assets of Efficient Energy GmbH have been acquired by Vertiv, owner of Liebert-brand chillers, following the German company’s insolvency.

EUROPE: A new report confirms that heat pumps can provide the most efficient heating in many cold climates around the world.

USA: Lower GWP HFC/HFO blend refrigerants R471A and R515B have been added to the US EPA’s list of acceptable substitutes under its Significant New Alternatives Program (SNAP).

USA: Leading US HVACR equipment distributor Watsco has completed the acquisition of Gateway Supply Company, a distributor of plumbing and HVAC products with locations in North and South Carolina. 

EUROPE: With F-gas negotiations reaching a critical point, industry has repeated its concerns about the costs and effectiveness of a full F-gas ban as proposed by the European Parliament.

DENMARK: Thomas Dalsgaard has taken over as CEO at Beijer Ref Denmark. He replaces Claus Bo Jacobsen who has stepped down after 14 years in the role.

EUROPE: A large group of companies working with “natural” refrigerant-based solutions have signed a letter calling on policymakers to show further ambition in the revision of the F-gas regulation.

UAE: Johnson Controls is to introduce cooling as a service (CaaS) with a UAE-based customer this year.

TURKEY: The Turkish supplier of the refrigerant shipment recently seized by Romanian customs has congratulated the authorities for their diligence and denied any knowledge of the trade being illegal.

UK/GERMANY: In separate moves, Aira, the Swedish company with big plans for Europe’s air-source heat pump market, has launched in Germany and acquired a UK installer.

SWITZERLAND: Refrigerant manufacturer Chemours has signed a distribution agreement with Turkish company Cantaş Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ.

NETHERLANDS/ITALY: BDR Thermea has strengthened its strategic partnership with GI Holding following the acquisition of a 25% stake in the Italian HVAC manufacturer.

JAPAN: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has received an order from refrigerant manufacturer Mexichem Fluor Japan (Koura) for a hydrogen fluoride production plant in Kitakyushu City. 

BELGIUM: An association representing 770,000 European technology companies has called the proposed “blanket restriction” of all PFAS, regardless of their toxicity and risk profile, disproportionate.

GERMANY: Refrigerant leakage from air conditioning and refrigeration systems in Germany was down to just 1.12% in 2022.

GERMANY: Sustainable cooling in the cold chain will be the focus of this year’s Green Coo­ling Sum­mit, a two-day online event taking place next month.

USA: Copeland has announced a partnership with Enersponse, a US provider of distributed energy resource (DER) management services for commercial and industrial customers. 

NETHERLANDS: Domestic and commercial heating company Remeha has officially opened what is claimed to be the largest heat pump factory in the Netherlands.

UK/USA: Smiths Group plc, the British multinational diversified engineering business, has acquired Heating & Cooling Products (HCP), a US-based manufacturer of HVAC solutions, for $82m (£65m).

EGYPT: The Arab Republic of Egypt has become the 152nd country to officially adopt the Kigali Amendment.

ROMANIA: Authorities in Romania have blocked a shipment of 1,140 cylinders of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants from Turkey by an unregistered importing company.  

SWEDEN: The Nordic Climate Group (NCG) continues on the acquisition trail, this time with the purchase of Swedish refrigeration and heat pump contractor Kylanläggningar AB.

USA/GERMANY: Lennox has agreed to sell its process cooling business Hyfra Industriekühlanlagen GmbH to Glen Dimplex.

JAPAN: Despite Japanese temperatures topping 38ºC in July, domestic shipments of room air conditioners were down 23.8% for the month at 1,106,000 units.

DENMARK: Danfoss has officially opened its latest Application Development Centre (ADC), this one within its new Smart Store supermarket near the company’s headquarters in Nordborg.