Cities and buildings

New air conditioning efficiency standards are needed if the world is to avoid an energy “cold crunch” from the growth in cooling demand in coming decades.

The European Parliament has given its final approval to the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which aims for a low and zero-emission building stock by 2050.

Carrier’s air conditioning and refrigeration technologies are sharing centre stage at the new UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings in Florida, opened today.

Star Refrigeration’s expertise in helping to create the ideal playing surface for Scotland’s recently opened National Curling Academy has been called on again for a planned £1.1m refurbishment of Edinburgh’s Murrayfield curling rink.

Daikin UK has released dates for its upcoming Future Thinking seminars which will explore the theme Optimising Design and Performance.

Stulz is the latest chiller manufacturer to produce a new range of air-cooled chillers specifically designed to operate on low GWP refrigerant R1234ze.

The implications of the European F-gas regulations and phase down will be discussed in a new forum set up for public sector employees in London and the South East.

The permanent IceHotel, opened last year in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, has been successfully retained this summer thanks to solar energy and a CO₂ refrigeration system.

The emergency services attended the GEA Refrigeration factory in Den Bosch this morning after a “50 litre” ammonia cylinder exploded.

Daikin UK’s latest round of Future Thinking seminars will cover new BREEAM construction standards and the F-gas regulations.

Four municipal ice rinks in Anchorage are the first to use transcritical direct CO₂ refrigeration in the U.S.

In Rabat, Morocco, a gigantic cultural project began in 2010 in the Bouregreg valley. Four facilities are being constructed and should open in 2018. Among them, the futuristic Grand Théâtre de Rabat, designed by Zaha Hadid, will accomodate 1800 spectators.

EU energy ministers yesterday adopted a revised energy efficiency label and agreed a position on two proposals for revised directives on energy efficiency and the energy performance of buildings.

The Canadian city has already converted most municipal skating and hockey rinks from R22 to environmentally friendly ammonia, with more conversions planned.

This report characterizes the current landscape and trends in the global A/C market, including discussion of both direct and indirect climate impacts, and potential global warming impacts from growing global A/C usage. The report also documents solutions that can help achieve international goals for energy efficiency and GHG emissions reductions. The solutions include pathways related to low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, energy efficiency innovations, long-term R&D initiatives, and regulatory actions.

This report characterizes the current landscape and trends in the global A/C market, including discussion of both direct and indirect climate impacts, and potential global warming impacts from growing global A/C usage. The report also documents solutions that can help achieve international goals for energy efficiency and GHG emissions reductions. The solutions include pathways related to low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, energy efficiency innovations, long-term R&D initiatives, and regulatory actions.

Adcock Refrigeration and Air Conditioning has completed a major R22 replacement project at leading IT systems, services and products company Fujitsu Services.

Developers have scaled down plans for Dubai’s proposed Mall of the World, dubbed the world’s first temperature controlled city.

First it went tiny with the mini-VRV, now Daikin has launched an “invisible” VRV air conditioning system.

A Trane air-cooled chiller employing a new low-GWP refrigerant replacement for R410A is to be presented at the IIR conference in Yokohama.