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

11th June 2026

Bulgarian HFC smugglers arrested

BULGARIA: Authorities in Bulgaria have arrested members of an organised criminal group accused of illegally importing and distributing HFC refrigerants, money laundering and tax crimes.
11th June 2026

National warns of illegal R1234yf

UK: National Refrigerants has warned of unlicensed R1234yf being imported to the UK in illegal cylinders.
11th June 2026

UK heat pump sales down in Q1

UK: The total number of retrofit heat pump installations in the UK was down 18% in Q1 2026, compared to the previous quarter, and 22% down compared to the same…
10th June 2026

IOR to host briefing on electric future of RACHP

UK: The Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) will host the next International Refrigeration Committee (IRC) business briefing which will focus on strengthening RACHP sustainability amid electricity market volatility.
10th June 2026

ABB and Samsung to integrate building intelligence and IoT 

SWITZERLAND/SOUTH KOREA: ABB and Samsung Electronics have announced a move to integrate building intelligence with enterprise IoT to enable greater access to building data, insights and controls.  
10th June 2026

Sanhua solenoid valves for CO2 systems

SPAIN: Sanhua has introduced the CDF‑T series NC solenoid valves for CO2 systems.