World News

USA: Aldi has announced that it will transition to “natural refrigerants” across all of its US stores before the end of 2035.

NETHERLANDS: Chemours has successfully contested a €500,000 penalty for releasing 4.5 tonnes of ozone depleting HCFC22 from its fluoropolymer plant in Dordrecht.

USA: The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that a further four manufacturers, Bosch, Daikin, Midea, and Johnson Controls, have passed its cold climate heat pump challenge.

USA: Carrier has signed an agreement with Montana Technologies to develop and commercialise Montana’s transformational AirJoule dehumidification and cooling technology.

DENMARK/UK: Danish food processing equipment manufacturer Carsoe A/S is to sell its UK-based Freezertech plate freezer business to fellow Danish company DSI Dantech.

JAPAN: More than 90% of households in Japan own an air conditioner but less than half use its heat pump heating capabilities, favouring fossil fuel heaters for their main heating.

USA: A new survey reveals that more than half of homeowners in the USA are not fully aware of heat pumps and their function and therefore have not considered the purchase. 

USA: Thermal management company Modine has purchased the intellectual property and other specific assets of TMGcore, a Texas-based specialist in liquid immersion cooling technology for data centres.

USA/GERMANY: Carrier has completed the €12bn acquisition of German manufacturer Viessmann Climate Solutions, following the deal’s clearance by the European Commission in December.

SWEDEN/INDIA: Beijer Ref has acquired a 70% stake in Chillaire Solutions, an Indian importer and distributor of refrigerant.

JAPAN: A collaboration between air conditioning manufacturer Fujitsu General and Japan’s NOK Corporation has found that fragrance can have a positive effect on concentration and alertness.

ROMANIA: In an effort to crack down on illegal imports, the newly-established Association of F-Gas Companies Romania has supplied refrigerant analysers and offered training to customs authorities in Romania. 

JAPAN: An industrial high-temperature water-output heat pump chiller designed by Daikin has won an award at Japan’s Energy Conservation Awards.

ROMANIA: Authorities in Romania have blocked the importation of over 4,000 cylinders of R134a refrigerant from China at the Black Sea port of Constanta.

SWEDEN: Swedish climate control solutions company Munters has received a $65m order from a leading US data centre colocation operator. 

TAIWAN: An explosion and fire at a refrigerant factory in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, has killed one employee and sent three others to hospital with burns.

FRANCE: A subsidiary of certification company Eurovent is developing a new service to help companies comply with the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

JAPAN/CAMBODIA: Daikin Industries has established Daikin Airconditioning (Cambodia) Co Ltd to support Cambodia’s growing air conditioning market.

GERMANY: Chillventa, the biennial international refrigeration, air conditioning, ventilation and heat pump exhibition, is already 95% booked, more than nine months before the show opens.

JAPAN: Fujitsu aims to restart stalled negotiations to sell its 44% stake in its air conditioning business Fujitsu General.

USA: Baltimore Aircoil (BAC) is to invest $16.5m in the expansion of its  manufacturing operations at its factory in Dayton, Tennessee.

USA: Twenty-nine workers were sent to hospital after two separate ammonia refrigerant leaks at a cheese factory in Greenville, Tennessee.

USA: The US EPA has ordered a Minnesota scrap metal recycler to pay $140,000 in civil penalties for failing to take proper precautions to recover refrigerants from old appliances.

EUROPE: The European Heat Pump Association has accused the European Commission of “slamming on the brakes” on the heat pump roll out after postponing its Heat Pump Action Plan. 

SWEDEN/USA: Beijer Ref has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of North American HVAC distributor Webb Supply, its third acquisition since entering the US market 12 months ago.

USA/GERMANY: The Carrier acquisition of Viessmann Climate Solutions is said to have been cleared by the European Commission.

USA:  Two Rhode-Island-based facilities have agreed to pay penalties totalling nearly $220,000 to settle claims that they violated laws regulating the handling of ammonia.