Europe
Hope for GSHP
Geothermal specialist Sofath (France) is confident that the market for ground-source heat pumps will recover in the near future in spite of falling sales over the last few years. The merit of such systems in having the highest possible seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) will help to drive the market in spite of its higher first cost. Sofath is a leader in France selling over 900 units in 2014...
IAQ + IEQ
A new index for defining the quality of life in the office workplace is being investigated in a study by the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) will rate an environment in terms of comfort and job satisfaction. Measurements of physiological parameters will be correlated with subjective assessments to establish whether high density workplaces could be a ...
New ACR Test Center in Germany
The ait-group, which includes alphainnotec (heat pumps), Novelan (geothermal heat pumps), and KKT (chillers), have recently opened a new test center in Kasendorf, Germany. The 1,600 m2 two-story center, which cost 4 million Euro(US$ 4.35 million) to build and equip, has 32 test rigs, six climate controlled calorimeter rooms, and two acoustic test chambers which are acoustically decoupled from the ...
R22 Conversions Delayed
A survey by Daikin of air conditioning contractors and installers in the United Kingdom reveals that nearly 80% of their customers who still own and operate R22 systems have no plans to replace them or to switch to another refrigerant. Most prefer to wait until the inevitable breakdown compels them to either try a drop-in fluid and modify the circuit components or replace the plant completely. Sou...
Fixing Small Refrigerant Leaks Counterproductive
Too much concern with repairing small leaks in refrigeration plant could lead to more damage to the environment through losses in the top-up recovery unit concludes a recently published study in France. A leakage rate of 5g/year detected by an electronic sensor (as prescribed by the F-gas Regulations) currently accounts of over half the number of installations but represents just over 1% of the to...
Heat Pumps in 2030
Speculating on the status of heat pumps in the relatively distant future is probably less prone to error than forecasting for the immediate short term. For example the impact of low oil prices is currently influencing buyers to choose the traditional boiler option - more especially for existing dwellings. The French trade association, Association francaise pour les pompes a chaleur (Afpac), set up...
The state of buildings’ energy performance, and what needs t
IEA-IPEEC report details the needs and savings from improved energy efficiency 23 November 2015 A new report co-written by the International Energy Agency (IEA) describes the state of energy pe...
IEA Executive Director meets with Norwegian Prime Minister
Discussions focus on modernisation of the Agency as well as outlook for energy markets and COP21 climate talks 23 November 2015 IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol was in Oslo on 23 November 2015 for ...
Integral expands into industrial refrigeration with ex-GEA d
23 November 201 Former md of GEA Refrigeration David Bostock becomes divisional director, as Integral seeks industrial and HVAC opportunities Integral UK has expanded into the industrial refrig...
Beijer Ref heats up UK refrigeration market with purchase of
23 November 2015 Swedish wholesale giant says operating HRP alongside Dean & Wood and RW Refrigeration Wholesale will ‘confirm the Group’s position as the market leader in the United Kingdom” &nbs...
