Today (16 June), the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) held its AGM, where members re-elected Juergen Goeller from UTC-Carrier for a second mandate as chair.

Members also elected Julien Soulet from Honeywell as vice-chair and Rainer Grosse-Kracht from Bitzer as treasurer of the association.

EPEE director General Andrea Voigt said: “EPEE has enjoyed a very successful – and busy – last twelve months. We welcomed three new members – A-Gas, Schneider Electric, and Samsung – thereby increasing the number of our members to 44. We also held events across the world on F-Gas, heating & cooling, energy efficiency, and much more, and have further positioned our association as a leading voice on the European and global stage.”

The AGM reaffirmed the key priorities for the next year, namely ensuring that industry across Europe understands the new EU F-Gas rules and that their implementation is consistent across the EU. Members also had the chance to provide feedback on EPEE’s new website, which has been newly designed and brought up to date and will be made public later this month.

During the past year EPEE has also produced two videos about a new and innovative tool to measure compliance with the EU F-Gas Regulation and the phase down of HFCs. Ms Voigt said: “The EPEE Gapometer – as it is known - aims to define a route towards a successful phase down of HFCs in Europe and will identify the biggest risks of gaps between supply and demand.”

The organisation has also been very active in communicating how the EU’s Energy Union proposals impact the industry. It has provided input to the Commission’s Heating & Cooling Strategy, culminating in its white paper earlier this year. It has also replied to consultations on the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Directives. In addition, it has been very involved in the review of the Energy Labelling Directive and various Ecodesign lots.

In December this year EPEE is organising the inaugural conference EUREKA 2016: Heating, Cooling & Ventilation: Sustainable technologies for a better life, which will take place at the Marriott Hotel, The Hague, the Netherlands.

EUREKA 2016 will be a major interactive European event, assembling around 200 stakeholders and showcasing how the heating, cooling and ventilation industry can help the EU achieve its ambitious climate and energy efficiency goals.

Andrea Voigt concluded: “Today’s EPEE AGM has set very ambitious objectives for the next 12 months, and we look forward to working together with members, associations around the world, and other stakeholders to ensure these objectives come to fruition.”