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

R718 chiller in data centre debut

GERMANY: Efficient Energy’s eChiller, which uses pure water (R718) as a refrigerant, is to be deployed for the first time for data centre cooling in a hybrid system in Munich. 

The data center at Munich’s University of Applied Sciences will be converted as a test site, with the aim of also using the eChiller in other cooling processes as well. 

The eChiller is developed, manufactured and distributed by Efficient Energy GmbH, based in Feldkirchen, near Munich. Using pure tap water as a refrigerant instead of F-gases, the eChiller is said to be ideal for cooling industrial processes, data centres and server rooms, control cabinets and buildings.

With its GWP of 0, water as a refrigerant does not release gases that are harmful to the climate. In addition, the technology enables free cooling and claims electricity consumption reductions of up to 70%. 

“Technology is particularly important from an environmental point of view. On the one hand, it directly affects energy efficiency and thus climate protection. On the other hand, as part of a modernisation, it enables the replacement of conventional climate-damaging refrigerants with the environmentally friendly alternative water,” said DBU general secretary Alexander Bonde. 

In the university, the eChiller will be used in combination with the existing refrigeration system. In the course of the project, they also want to develop an operating strategy for these hybrid systems that is aimed particularly at small and medium-sized data centres and is transferable.

The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) has already provided €800,000 of funding to the development of the eChiller and has now added €270,000 of technical and financial support.

Related stories:

Chiller using water as refrigerant comes to the UK21 July 2019
UK: Blackpool-based Green Thermal Energy has been appointed UK partner for eChiller, the German-designed and manufactured chiller using pure water (R718) as a refrigerant. Read more…

Water-based chiller wins EC award – 20 November 2018
AUSTRIA: A chiller which uses water as a refrigerant has won a major European Commission environmental business award. Read more…

Latest News

21st September 2026

Danfoss Smart Store cuts energy use by 60%

DENMARK: Danfoss claims that the real-world Smart Store at its headquarters site in Nordborg, Denmark, has achieved 60% lower net energy use than benchmark stores.
21st September 2026

Dr Armin Frommer to join Vaillant as MD

GERMANY: Vaillant has appointed Dr Armin Frommer as managing director of the company from October 1 amongst changes to the company’s management.
21st September 2026

Scientists claim elastocaloric cooling breakthrough

HONG KONG: Scientists claim to have developed what is said to be the world’s first zero-degradation elastocaloric cooling device.
20th September 2026

Wolseley own-brand side stream filtration range

UK: Wolseley Pipe Centre has launched its own-brand JET Quad side-stream filtration range to improve water quality and help protect commercial cooling and heating systems.
20th September 2026

Europe needs access to efficient cooling

BELGIUM: EPEE has described the EU president’s state of the union address as a “rare moment” for electrification of heating and efficient cooling to be named in the same speech.
19th September 2026

Subcontractors stung by constant late payments

UK: Nearly 80% of subcontractors in the UK construction industry are paid late, and almost 75% are regularly in disputes with contractors.