The entire world-wide industry is encouraged to take the opportunity to promote the significant role of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps in the well-being of mankind.   

It is intended that World Refrigeration Day will serve as a means of raising awareness and understanding to the general public of the significant role that the industry and its technology play in modern life and society, with RACHP and HVACR organisations and professionals around the world undertaking a range of activities.

The term ‘refrigeration’ here is being used in its widest sense as the process of achieving and maintaining a required temperature below that of its surroundings. An example of refrigeration is the preservation and distribution of perishable food products. Refrigeration systems are also used extensively for providing thermal comfort to human beings by means of air conditioning.  Similarly, heat pumps are devices that take heat from one source and move it to another location.

RACHP technologies and applications have evolved out of a human requirements for food, comfort and thermal processes, with a history dating back centuries, but it remains a long-standing frustration for those working within the industry that it is not widely recognised that modern life could not exist without it, nor is there any appreciation by wider society of the skills and knowledge employed on a daily basis by industry professionals.

Associations and societies from USA, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Africa and across Europe have all indicted their support for the establishment of the World Refrigeration Day.

Graeme Fox, Head of REFCOM said: “REFCOM is proud to have supported the inaugural World RACHP Day on June 26, in recognition and celebration of the contribution the sector makes towards protecting the food supply chain, lifesaving and comfort cooling, process cooling, and sustainable renewable heating technologies. Refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps impact on almost every aspect of modern society and yet is often the hidden technology that nobody thinks about until something goes wrong, so it is right that we acknowledge this contribution with a special day in the calendar year.”

Marco Buoni, recently elected as the President of the European contractors’ association, AREA, said: “AREA supports the establishment of World Refrigeration Day on June 26. Such a celebration is an acknowledgement of the role for our society played by refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps, whether related to health, food or comfort. RACHP contractors represented by AREA are proud to contribute to achieving such noble purposes”

Miriam Rodway, chief executive of the Institute of Refrigeration said: “The IOR is a proud supporter of World Refrigeration Day as an initiative to raise the profile of the important contribution that refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps make globally across so many aspects of modern life. From medical, to food supply and farming, process engineering to data and IT, refrigeration technologies are essential and yet go widely unrecognised. Bringing together the worlds community to celebrate our success and achievements is very much part of the IOR’s role to promote the advancement of refrigeration technologies, and we look forward to working more closely with everyone supporting this great campaign.” 

The establishment of a World Refrigeration Day has been the personal crusade of well-known industry figure and IOR president, Steve Gill, for over a decade. Although he will be the first to admit that the idea of an industry day may not be new, the gaining of a consensus for a fixed date from organisations and individuals from around the world certainly is.

Mr Gill said: “Refrigeration has such a long and fascinating history full of inventors, engineering pioneers, scientists, and industrial entrepreneurs from around the world, all of whom deserve to be recognised and remembered for their valuable contribution. With such a long and rich history, agreeing upon a date has proven to be challenging even at a national level, let alone an international one. However, the industry is united in its desire to raise its profile to the general public for all the right reasons and so we were able to build solidarity upon many common goals and finally agree on a date.”  

How this date will be marked in 2019 in the UK and elsewhere is yet to be determined; the various groups are in discussion, and details of planned events will be issued in due course.

A website, www.worldrefrigerationday.org, is currently under construction and is intended to be ready by September. Until then, events and updates may be found through twitter @worldrefday 

Any organisation or individual wishing to support World Refrigeration Day should contact: steve@worldrefrigerationday.org