HVAC

When refrigeration and air conditioning equipment is installed, serviced, repaired and dismantled, safety issues need to be carefully evaluated and considered particularly when servicing technicians have to deal with refrigerants with properties that they were previously not familiar with. It is therefore important that the refrigeration and air-conditioning industry adapts to both the technical and safety issues concerning these refrigerants.

ASHRAE has hit back at the Maastricht University study suggesting that methods to determine thermal comfort are biased against women.

Upgrading all existing room air conditioners to highest efficiency units, combined with the transition to lower GWP refrigerants, could save 25 gigatons of CO₂ equivalents by 2030.

Europe’s aircon and refrigeration component makers have warned that only with a very focused approach will industry be able to achieve the phase down targets within the statutory time frame.

The conference was the largest event in the history of Centro Studi Galileo and the Italian Association of Refrigeration Technicians CSG has been able to celebrate its 40th anniversary with extreme satisfaction: 200 participants from 4 continents, more than 50 speakers and 26 Platinum, Gold and Silver Partners came together to support the Conference. Our industry will face huge challenges in the coming years and in response, the main theme of the conference was “Do not Wait – Act now!” (Per Jonasson President of AREA). Our industry will suffer if we do not act now; however if immediate action is taken, there will be innumerable benefits both for the environment and future technological evolutions and innovations. In particular for session 1 to 4, the key concepts from the Conference and the conclusions are therefore: zero use of refrigerants with a high Global Warming Potential GWP environmental impact, energy efficiency, and correct labeling. All of these actions are to be undertaken urgently in the coming months; further innovations will help and support European Companies and expansion into new markets …

Air conditioning units are reported to pose a greater fire risk than any other common household appliance in Singapore.

The European Commission has opened a public consultation to evaluate the effectiveness of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

The annual meeting of the Regional Ozone Network for Europe & Central Asia (ECA network) was held in Yerevan, Armenia, 26-28 May 2015.

IT’S BACK! METHYL CHLORIDE FOUND IN FAKE R22

Research and development of next generation air conditioning technology is to receive nearly $8m in funding from the US Department of Energy.

A new design guide for convenience stores and supermarkets provides recommendations to achieve 50% energy savings when compared with minimum US code requirements.

UNEP has produced two guides to assist article 5 countries in their phase-out of HCFC refrigerants.

Emerson Climate Technologies will be discussing how modulating technologies are enabling enhanced comfort and improved efficiency in a free webinar.