News Archive - November 2012
Car industry needs more time to find R134a replacement
30 November 2012
GERMANY: The German car manufacturers' association, VDA, has called on the EU for more time to find a replacement for R134a in car air conditioning systems.
German car manufacturers told to respect European law
28 November 2012
GERMANY: The German government is lining up against its car manufacturers who are considering defying the MAC directive by refusing to move away from the refrigerant R134a.
Swedish customs find suspected fake R134a product stickers
27 November 2012
SWEDEN: Customs officers are continuing to identify what appears to be growing incidences of false stickers being used by criminals to disguise illegal exports of waste or secondhand CFC refrigeration equipment.
Tests on Chinese R134a finds 25% "substandard"
26 November 2012
CHINA: Inferior and counterfeit refrigerant is still rife in China. A swoop on auto parts suppliers by officials in Guangzhou City found a quarter of all refrigerants did not meet the purity standard expected of R134a.
Organiser looks to build on success of initial ACR Show
26 November 2012
UK: The organiser of the ACR Show is looking to build on the initial success of this year's inaugural event for the next show in 2014.
Walter Meier buys Swiss chilled ceiling manufacturer
23 November 2012
SWITZERLAND: Having acquired a minority stake in MWH Barcol-Air last year, Swiss humidification company Walter Meier has now taken over full ownership of this leading manufacturer of chilled ceilings.
Sanhua acquires German component supplier
23 November 2012
GERMANY: Sanhua, the Chinese air conditioning and refrigeration component supplier has acquired the German home appliance component manufacturer AWECO Appliance Systems.
China receives $73m grant to phase-out HCFCs
23 November 2012
CHINA: The World Bank has approved a grant of US$73m to help China meet its HCFC consumption and production phase-out obligations.
Climate Center hails success of Toshiba product
22 November 2012
UK: The addition of Toshiba air conditioners to Climate Center's product offering has proved to be the air conditioning and refrigeration wholesaler's most successful ever product launch.
CFC-containing waste fridges disguised as R600a
20 November 2012
EUROPE: Further information that has come to light following the recent interception of an illegal consignment of waste fridges at the port of Hamburg suggests that cfc-containing waste fridges are being disguised as containing legal refrigerants.
Germans stop CFC fridge exports
19 November 2012
GERMANY: A joint effort by customs officers and police in Hamburg has stopped illegal exports of waste CFC-containing refrigerators.
ACR News Awards 2013: Deadline extended to January 3.
19 November 2012
UK: The deadline for entries to the ACR News Awards, the premier awards for the air conditioning and refrigeration industry, has been extended to January 3, 2013.
Woolworths' purchase of largest refrigeration firm sparks competition fears
19 November 2012
AUSTRALIA: Competition concerns have been raised in Australia following the purchase of the country's largest commercial refrigeration company by Australia's largest supermarket chain.
No HFC agreement at Montreal Protocol meeting
18 November 2012
SWITZERLAND: Attempts to reach agreement on a worldwide phase-down of HFCs again foundered at the latest Montreal Protocol meeting in Geneva although some progress was made.
Goodman faces legal action over alleged faulty coil
18 November 2012
USA: Goodman Global, the US air conditioning manufacturer recently acquired by Daikin, faces a class action lawsuit in the USA for allegedly selling defective air conditioning units.
Now the car makers look to reassess the "challenges" of CO2
14 November 2012
USA: Fresh from announcing new research into the safety of R1234yf as a substitute for R134a in car air conditioning systems, engineers body SAE International is now proposing to re-evaluate the technical aspects of CO2 as an automotive air conditioning refrigerant.
The end for R404A refrigerant?
13 November 2012
EUROPE: While specific product bans on non-hermetically-sealed systems have dropped out of the new F-gas revision proposals, it appears there is little future for refrigeration systems running on R404A.
IoR seeks new council members
12 November 2012
UK: The Institute of Refrigeration is looking for volunteers to join its executive council, the board of trustees who govern the charity.
Refrigerant conversion plant set to come online
12 November 2012
USA: Midwest Refrigerants, the US company which has devised a process to reclaim refrigerants to their original chemical constituents, is set to bring its first plant on-stream in the early part of next year.
Thirteen car makers back 1234yf research
09 November 2012
USA: Thirteen major car manufacturers are participating in new research into the suitability of the new refrigerant R1234yf for car air conditioning.
Praise for US action against R22 smugglers
09 November 2012
USA: The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy (ARAP) has praised the US government for its actions against HCFC refrigerant smugglers.
Importer fined for illegal refrigerant cargo
08 November 2012
CANADA: A Quebec-based company and its president have been fined $37,200 for illegally importing R22 into Canada.
AREA welcomes F-gas revision
08 November 2012
EUROPE: AREA, the European association of refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump contractors, has largely welcomed the publication of the long-awaited proposal for a revision of the F-Gas Regulation.
EPEE gives F-gas review the thumbs up
07 November 2012
EUROPE: EPEE, the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment has given an initial thumbs up to the European Commission's F-gas review proposals.
"Acting now on HFCs will give EU an advantage"
07 November 2012
EUROPE: As the air conditioning and refrigeration industry awaits the publication of the EU F-gas review proposals, climate change commissioner Connie Hedegaard has said that the review process has shown the need for further action.
EU drops plans to ban HFCs in commercial refrigerators
07 November 2012
EUROPE: Many of the product bans threatened in the leaked F-gas revision document have been relaxed in the official revision document published today.
EIA blames industry lobbying for HFC reprieve
07 November 2012
EUROPE: The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has reacted with disappointment to the publication of the final proposal for the EU Review of the F-gas regulation, citing weak measures and a lack of ambition.
France considers a removal order on all HCFC equipment
05 November 2012
FRANCE: The French environment ministry has confirmed that it is considering a law to remove all HCFC equipment by the end of 2017.
Canadian company fined for leak check failures
05 November 2012
CANADA: Bruce Power Ltd Partnership, a Canadian nuclear generator, has been fined $100,000 (£63,000) for failing to leak test its refrigeration system.
Carter Synergy is the Co-op's top refrigeration supplier
05 November 2012
UK: Carter Synergy has been named Refrigeration Supplier of the Year for the second year running by the Co-operative Group.
Toshiba director warns of pre-charge ban risks
05 November 2012
UK: One of the leading air conditioning companies has warned of the risks of banning pre-charged equipment as proposed in the recently leaked F-gas review document.
Daikin promises US advanced products after completing Goodman purchase
02 November 2012
USA: Daikin says it intends to launch advanced environmentally-friendly products onto the US residential and commercial hvac markets following the completion of its purchase of Goodman Global yesterday.
HFO blast chiller pioneer steps up tests
02 November 2012
UK: The ground-breaking UK refrigeration company which recently announced the launch of a blast chiller running on the HFO 1234ze, says it is also testing some "very interesting" HFO blends from Honeywell's new Solstice range of low GWP refrigerants.
Ken Logan to relocate to A-Gas Americas
01 November 2012
UK: Ken Logan, md of refrigerant supplier A-Gas (UK), is moving across the water at the end of the year to become president/managing director of A-Gas Americas.