Europe
Indoor Air Pollution in UK
An increasing number of academic studies are being published which highlight health problems due to the lack of a fresh air supply in homes. Latest is a report from Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit (MEARU) in Scotland which finds that in the 200 homes surveyed the so-called trickle vents, usually part of the window frame, were nearly all closed. The high level of air tightness p...
Slow Take-up for BIM
Hailed as the next step in integrating the design of buildings and their services installations, the computer-based Building Information Modeling (BIM) solution has been slow to take off in Europe. A survey by Arch-Vision in Rotterdam reveals that only two countries are actively adopting the concept: 56% of architectural/ consulting practices in the Netherlands and 36% of those in the United Kingd...
Heat Pumps in Norway
More than one in three single-family homes in Norway now use air-to-air (ATA) heat pumps as the principal means of space heating. Sales in the period 1996 to 2014 totaled 850,000 units, 90% of these destined for the residential sector. But the good times for the industry may not last because the new Norwegian building code published this year no longer requires the use of renewable energy sources ...
Fujitsu General - Back to Basics
Specifiers searching for Fujitsu General in the United Kingdom could be forgiven for passing over the listing of FG Eurofred as an unlikely candidate. Now FG Eurofred changed its name to Fujitsu Gener...
Italian AC Market Reviewed
Following the setback in the construction sector in 2008 the air conditioning and refrigeration (ACR) industry in Italy has benefited from government tax incentives and other initiatives and in 2015 sales of ventilation and air conditioning equipment reached record highs. The estimate for 2014 was around ?1 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) of which split systems accounted for around half the value and tw...
Retrofit Packaged Heat Pump
A new line in packaged air-source heat pumps has been launched by Star Renewable Energy, part of Star Refrigeration, in the United Kingdom. The unit was on display at the international 2016 Low Carbon Heat and Water Conference this year. It was designed to meet growing demand for low carbon solutions plant in retrofit projects. The unit displayed had an output of 700 kW and a maximum output temper...
Propane for 1 MW Chiller
Two 500 kW screw compressor units from Geoclima designed to operate on propane as the refrigerant are supplying chilled water to a pharmaceuticals company in the United Kingdom. The units replace an existing R407C plant which was nearing the end of its life. Propane was chosen for its low global warming potential (GWP) and its lower electrical load. Source: ACR News, UK...
Too Many Refrigerants?
Just when the industry thought the problem of future of refrigerants had been resolved, a new report from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reveals that around 80 fluids are still under review - most of them blends. One new molecule has been identified - trans-dichloroethene - which is being developed as a blend with one of the hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) as an alternative to R123. Future ...
Daikin to Acquire Italian Commercial Refrigeration Manufactu
Daikin through its subsidiary Daikin Europe has decided to acquire Zanotti headquartered in Mantova, Lombardy, Italy, an Italian manufacturer of commercial-use refrigerators and freezers. The acquisition price is ?98 million (US$ 112 million) for which Daikin will obtain all company shares from the asset management company owned by Zanotti executive officers. Finalization of the transaction...
Bitzer New Varipack: Flexible Energy Savings with Frequency
Bitzer presented the Varipack product series for the first time at the Mostra Convegno. All Bitzer reciprocating compressors can be operated with this new generation of intelligent frequency inverters...
