shecco has launched the second edition of its popular GUIDE Europe, entitled GUIDE 2014: Natural Refrigerants - Continued Growth and Innovation in Europe.

The publication, which runs to almost 200 pages, provides an essential update on the market evolution of HVAC&R applications using CO2, ammonia, hydrocarbons, water and air.

Featuring data on the latest market trends, a business directory of over 400 companies working with natural refrigerants in Europe, new supermarket maps, and survey results from 376 European HVAC&R industry experts, the GUIDE EU 2014 aims to build on the success of the 2012 edition and become the industry reference tool for those working with natural working fluids.

GUIDE series publisher and shecco managing director, Marc Chasserot, said: 'Once again focusing on Europe, the market leader for natural refrigerant-based HVAC&R technologies, the updated GUIDE shows how quickly things are evolving, and that natural refrigerants are becoming a standard solution for companies that want to future-proof their business.'

Nina Masson, lead author of the GUIDE and shecco's head of market research, said: 'We are publishing the GUIDE EU 2014 at a point in time when proposed European-level rules on the restricted or banned use of f-gases are expected to take effect. They will determine the direction that HVAC&R system and component suppliers, contractors and training institutes, but more importantly commercial and industrial end-users, will be taking in their refrigerant choice until 2020 and beyond.

'The second edition of the GUIDE Europe allows for a better understanding of the opportunities in the natural refrigerant market.'

The last two years have seen considerable changes in the European natural refrigerant market. Tracking the upswing in natural refrigerant investments the updated GUIDE Europe presents results from a new survey of 367 HVAC&R industry experts, over half of whom believe that CO2 will experience a 'strong increase' in use by 2020, in particular in the mobile air conditioning and commercial refrigeration sectors. This is a stronger message than that reported in the previous GUIDE Europe, where a third of respondents believed that the market share of naturals would increase to 'more than 50%'

Among the highlights of the new GUIDE Europe are a series of expanded commercial refrigeration systems maps. For example, the completely updated transcritical (TC) CO2 supermarket map shows an increase of 117% in the number of CO2 TC supermarkets in Europe within two years, whilst the first ever CO2 cascade supermarket maps show 1,636 supermarkets in Europe using CO2/HFC cascade systems.

A new world map shows where more than 5,000 stores using CO2 transcritical and cascade/ secondary refrigeration systems are located.

In addition, the 2014 GUIDE includes information on: natural refrigerants in the European food chain; applications of natural refrigerants; commercial availability of natural refrigerant solutions; end-user views on natural refrigerants; European policy Initiatives; case studies; European industry survey results and a European natural refrigerant business directory.

The GUIDE Europe 2014 is freely available at:
http://publications.shecco.com/publications/view/2014-guide-natural-refrigerants-europe

The report can be viewed online as a flash version, downloaded as a whole publication or just as individual case studies.