UK: Daikin has opened a new Sustainable Home Centre, its sixth this year, at Doncaster-based plumbing and heating supplier Spinks. With the move from fossil fuels to renewable energy, Daikin sees these centres playing a key role in educating and training heating engineers as well as informing homeowners about the advantages of sustainable, low-carbon home heating. The official opening of the new facility, a joint effort between Daikin and Spinks, was conducted by local MP Dame Rosie Winterton. Visitors were able to meet experts from Daikin UK and experience all the option ..read more

USA: Scientists from the USA’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) claim to have dramatically reduced the time and energy required to chill materials to temperatures near absolute zero. They claim that their prototype refrigerator could prove a boon for the burgeoning quantum industry, which widely uses ultracold materials. NIST says it is now working with an unnamed industrial partner to commercialise the refrigerator. It’s estimated that the prototype – a modification of the commonly used pulse tube refrigerator – could save an estimated 27,000,000W of power per year.  ..read more

ITALY: Clivet Thunder is a new air-cooled reversible heat pump equipped with inverter scroll compressors specifically designed for use with R290 refrigerant. Available in capacities from 40kW to 85kW, Thunder is said to achieve outstanding performances for medium temperature applications, with a seasonal efficiency in heating SCOP W35 up to 4.7 and SCOP W55 up to 3.6. Clivet guarantees heating, cooling and domestic hot water production up to 75°C and an operating range in heating from -20°C to +42°C ambient. Its high temperature makes it suitable for use both in new buildings and i ..read more

USA/SERBIA: US manufacturer Modine has officially opened a second facility in Sremska, Serbia, to manufacture coils for commercial and residential heat pump applications.  Serbian Prime Minister-designate Milos Vučević and US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill were among the dignitaries who attended the grand opening ceremony. “The new production facility underscores Modine’s commitment to investing in technologies that reduce energy consumption and lower harmful emissions, like heat pumps,” said Modine president and CEO Neil D Brinker.  Colleague Eric McGinnis, Modine’s preside ..read more

USA: Refrigerant supply and management company A-Gas has completed the construction of another set of separation towers at its facility in Rhome, Texas.  These new separation towers will significantly increase A-Gas’ capability to supply the US with reclaimed refrigerant gases, a key essential for implementing the production and consumption phase down of HFCs under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act. A-Gas has now nearly quadrupled the separation capacity at the Texas facility since 2017.  The separation technology, combined with the Texas facility’s AHRI-certified ..read more

SWEDEN: Beijer Ref recorded sales of SEK7,680m (€633m) in Q1 of 2024, a 4% increase on last year. EBITA saw a similar percentage increase to SEK733m (€63m).  With the quarter affected by high comparative figures, organic sales were down -4.1%, mainly related to negative growth in HVAC of 7%. Despite the high comparative figures, OEM reported good organic growth of 9%. Commercial and industrial refrigeration had a slight negative organic growth of 3%.  EMEA reported negative sales growth of 5%, while the APAC region reported strong growth of 17%, excluding currency effects, in ..read more

The Boiler Shop’s MD, Wayne Carr, with the merchant’s latest product introduction UK: Mitsubishi Electric’s Ecodan heat pumps and hot water cylinders are to be stocked by The Boiler Shop, a Derbyshire-based independent heating and plumbing merchants. The family-owned business was established in 2000. Based in Staveley, Chesterfield, its trade counter is open six days a week selling boilers and boiler spares, plumbing materials including rainwater and underground to the professional plumbing and DIY markets. “Our Ecodan products will now be readily available to The Boiler Shop and their c ..read more

DENMARK/SPAIN: The Tefcold Group has acquired Barcelona-based Horeca Global Solutions, a distributor of refrigeration, cooking and ice cream making equipment for the hospitality sector in Spain and Portugal. Horeca Global Solutions was established as a subsidiary of the Eurofred Group in 2022. Eurofred maintains that the sale enables it to focus its efforts on its air conditioning, refrigeration and services business units. “It is clear to us that the business models in the air-condition market and the commercial cooling industry are so different, that it will be better for Horeca Globa ..read more

UK: Ideal Heating has opened a new £1m heat pump installation training centre in Bedfordshire to serve the south of England. The new 1500m2 facility in Insignia Park, Dunstable, is the latest training centre dedicated to low carbon technologies to be opened by the company. Itwill be used by Ideal Heating’s Expert Academy training arm to equip installers with the skills to fit, maintain and service domestic and commercial heat pumps. In addition to the live heat pump training suite and thermodynamic fault-finding simulators, the centre also houses a large conference facility, product displ ..read more

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