Carrier invited members of the trade press from across Europe to its Montluel Centre of Excellence in January MBS Features Editor Russell Drury was part of a small contingent of journalists from the UK to make the trip to Carrier’s 7,500m2 facility near Lyon where the company showcased its 2025 strategy and demonstrated its commitment to decarbonisation The event also marked the launch of the AquaSnap 61AQ Carrier’s first high temperature air source reversible heat pump for commercial applications that uses R-290 a natural refrigerant with nearly-zero Global Warming Potential (GWP) Carrier’s Montluel Centre of Excellence facility serves as one of the company’s four centres
of excellence across Europe.
 The research and development laboratories boast state-of-the-art equipment capable of simulating a wide range of operating conditions encountered by Carrier’s heat pumps With 15 test rooms equipped with over 1,200 measurement sensors the facility ensures rigorous testing and validation of Carrier’s products providing optimal performance and reliability for customers Northern European Marketing Director for Carrier Commercial HVAC said: “It was fantastic to welcome journalists from the UK to Montluel recently It provided a great opportunity for them to gain insight into one of Carrier’s main Centres of Excellence in Europe We were also proud to showcase our newest innovation a high temperature heat pump
utilising natural refrigerant designed to lead the way with decarbonisation.” Commercial landlords face MEES compliance crunch Two-thirds of UK commercial real estate (CRE) owners admit they are “not fully compliant” with energy efficiency regulations according to new research from smart buildings specialist LMG Recognising outstanding achievements at CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2025 The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London came alive on 27th February 2025 for the prestigious CIBSE Building Performance Awards Submit event Privacy Policy | Contact us | Subscriptions | Media information © Modern Building Services - Portico Publishing Ltd 2004 - 2025 created & hosted by: This site uses some unobtrusive cookies to store information on your computer and the site won\'t work as expected without them These cookies are set when you submit a form login or interact with the site by doing something that goes beyond clicking on simple links We also use some non-essential cookies to anonymously track visitors or enhance your experience of the site By using our site you accept the terms of our Privacy Policy Carrier Commercial HVAC recently welcomed two groups of mechanical engineers from renowned engineering firm Arup to its manufacturing and research facility in Montluel The educational visit aimed to provide the 12 young engineers with insight into Carrier’s innovative chillers and heat pumps emphasising the company’s commitment to education and training in HVAC technology and research the engineers were given an in-depth tour of Carrier's Montluel factory exploring the chiller and heat pump assembly lines They also had the opportunity to delve into Carrier's research and development laboratory and climate testing facilities gaining valuable insights into the manufacturing processes and quality control measures presented the company's chiller and heat pump roadmap for 2024 outlining upcoming innovations and advancements in the field provided an overview of EU governance and evolving regulations concerning refrigerants highlighting Carrier's commitment to environmental sustainability The engineers also learnt about the logistics and transport processes involved in product assembly and on-site delivery further enhancing their understanding of Carrier's operations and customer service practices The engineers expressed their appreciation for the educational opportunity which certainly widened our perspectives,” said Ladi Ariyo “The experience will positively affect our interactions with clients in the future We can now confidently answer client questions about the logistics of the equipment “The climate testing in the R&D facility was particularly interesting,” said Lawrence Adekoya Arup engineer “I didn’t realise it was possible to vigorously test so many variables It was also interesting to hear Carrier’s perspective on market trends and the legislation around F-gas.” Carrier's Montluel facility serves as one of the company's four centres of excellence across Europe the research and development laboratories boast state-of-the-art equipment capable of simulating a wide range of operating conditions encountered by Carrier's heat pumps the facility ensures rigorous testing and validation of Carrier's products “It was fantastic to host Arup’s engineers at our centre of excellence facility in France,” said Oliver Sanders commercial director Carrier Commercial HVAC UK and Ireland underline our commitment to educating the next generation of engineers about sustainable and intelligent climate and energy solutions We look forward to welcoming many other groups in the future.” Delegates to the IOR Annual Conference taking place from 21 to 22 April will get the chance to access the event live and all sessions and recordings for up six months afterwards providing fantastic value and allowing anyone registering for the event .. and VIP Tickets for two to watch Mikey Hardie #93 up close and personal and have the VIP Experience at British Superbikes in Assen Industry news and insights from Europe and around the World Keep up-to-date with the latest new products and technology JAPAN: Toshiba Carrier has established a European subsidiary company and plans to set up a North American operation in a major global push on VRF air conditioning The Cooling Post has learned that the Japanese parent company which is likely to be named Toshiba Carrier North America Inc is expected to be set up in April in Atlanta The moves are in line with announcements in October 2014 that Toshiba and UTC planned to strengthen and expand the Toshiba Carrier joint venture business to double its $1.6bn annual sales revenues by 2020 would be the establishment of engineering centres and overseas manufacturing in North America The Toshiba Carrier air conditioning joint venture was originally established in 1999 with Toshiba owning 60% of the volume to Carrier’s 40% The new Toshiba Carrier Europe SAS operation is registered at 235 Route Thil in Montluel the European headquarters address of Carrier Toshiba Carrier says the new European venture will focus on developing products for the European market with an emphasis on the sales of VRF President of the new operation is Hideyuki Kumazawa former Toshiba global sales group manager and Toshiba EMEA director it is planned to establish an additional subsidiary likely to be called Toshiba Carrier North America Inc The new US business is expected to have an initial investment of $2m with Toshiba Carrier Corporation owning 51% of the shares and Carrier Corporation the remaining 49% the US business will focus on the promotion of Toshiba’s VRF technology Cooling Post is the leading online resource covering latest news and developments in the cooling industry air conditioning news and the latest heat pump developments Privacy & Cookie Policy © Copyright 2025, Cooling Post Ltd - All Rights Reserved | Website by Capital Web Everything you need to know about what elementalLONDON has to offer What makes elementalLONDON the place to connect with the specification community Details of elementalLONDON’s theatre and networking programme Contact the team today to discuss your requirements The company says propane has ideal thermodynamic properties for heating applications making it the ideal low-GWP replacement for R32 refrigerant The new unit can deliver heating at up to 75 deg C at outdoor temperatures as low as -7 deg C and can also provide 50 deg C in temperatures down to -25 deg C The manufacturer is confident that this operating envelope is unmatched in the market thanks to redesigned circuitry and the operating characteristics of R290 “It has never been reached in the industry,” said Bertrand Rotagnon Carrier says the heat pump sets a new standard in performance and sustainability The monobloc version has capacities from 40 to 140kW while the modular version allows connection of up to four units Vice President and General Manager for Carrier Commercial HVAC EMEA said that the new heat pump range will underpin continuing expansion into HVAC applications with the Montluel factory having produced more heat pumps than chillers for the first time last year He said that the manufacturer is well-positioned to take advantage of growing HVAC opportunities with a portfolio that encompasses heat pumps Data centres and renewable generation continue to expand and we want to be part of that game – let’s remember that new power stations will all need cooling Carrier is king of the chiller and we want to be king of the heat pump He noted that the rising digitalisation of daily life is driving huge datacentre expansion: “We have seen 10GW built in the last 20 years but another 11GW is expected to be built in the next five years.” The company’s recent purchase of Viessmann is providing further low carbon heating opportunities in the industrial sector The German manufacturer has an electric boiler capable of the high temperatures required in industrial processes of up to 200°C which can also be installed alongside Carrier’s air-source heat pump He noted that the acquisition would provide clear technical and distribution synergies to the group but added that Viessmann would have a smaller role in the commercial sector The major opportunities would come in the residential sector he said where the company has 874,000 boilers in the field  in the UK that will ultimately need replacing Didier added that Carrier is committed to a sustainable approach with goals to reduce material consumption and waste; to design ecologically focusing on lifecycle; and to pursue re-use solutions to improve the circularity of HVAC along with its modular design makes it suitable for both retrofit and new-build projects and it exceeds Ecodesign efficiency standards by up to 30% It also offers reduced noise levels of 78 dB(A) which is 10 dB(A) lower than Ecodesign recommendations The use of R290 offers a GWP of just 0.02 refrigerant according to the latest IPCC Report the refrigerant is flammable so Carrier has included a number of design measures to ensure safe operation including grouping all refrigerant-containing components into a dedicated ventilated enclosure with air circulation to dilute concentration should there be a leak and housing electrical components in a spark-proof box Product Marketing Director and Vertical Markets Engineering Director The refrigerant charge per circuit is also limited to 4kg a concentration which is too low to support ignition the refrigerant is contained within each module that individual unit can be taken out of use The use of propane also allows a smaller compressor than HFOs The manufacturer has also created training programmes to ensure the safe handling of the refrigerant Michel said he believed that the current debate over PFAS regulations and refrigerants would be unlikely to result in an imminent ban for HFOs: If we have a problem with PFAS in refrigeration then the car industry has an even bigger problem with HFOs in its air conditioning…so I cannot see any ban for at least 15 years – and even if it did happen Carrier will not disappear just because one refrigerant disappears Michel believes that the new design will prove a differentiator The innovation lies not just in the individual components sized and laid out to achieve the bet possible balance between performance He added that the 61AQ’s Danfoss variable speed scroll compressor has been designed to provide the optimised pressure and geometry to deliver high temperature heating while maintaining low refrigerant volume and energy efficiency The heat pump also offers connectivity to Carrier’s digital platform Abound HVAC Performance for real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance By introducing R290 to high-temperature commercial heating we are addressing critical decarbonisation challenges head-on This heat pump exemplifies Carrier’s vision for a sustainable future combining superior performance with unmatched environmental responsibility The new heat pump is assembled at Carrier’s Montluel factory near Lyon It also contains what the firm believes is a world-leading Research and Design Centre with 12 test rooms for testing and certification of both air-cooled and water-cooled chillers and heat pumps from 20kW up to 5MW The factory produces 10,000 chillers and heat pumps a year with last year 53% of the output being heat pumps The typical time from order to delivery is 8-12 weeks The capability of Montluel to deliver large chillers and heat pumps is demonstrated by its current production of huge 10MW chillers (pictured below with UK marketing director Neil Hitching) to fulfil a 24-unit multi-million pound order for district cooling for utility Marafeq Qatar Luton Town to start construction on new “environmentally sustainable” stadium Luton Town Football Club is set to begin construction this summer on a new 25,000-capacity stadium at Power Court which it says will be “one of the most environmentally sustainable […] Spotlight on: efficiency, digitalisation and retrofit with ebm-papst’s Tony Wright Divisional Director & Head of UK Sales at ebm-papst about how digitalisation and a focused approach to retrofit is helping building owners improve HVAC […] Octopus Energy study reveals ‘postcode lottery’ for heat pump and solar installation approvals Octopus Energy has released new data revealing significant regional disparities in the time customers have to wait for approvals to install new EV chargers Interested in having a stand at elementalLONDON Submit the form below and one of our sales team will be in touch to talk you through options to suit your business FRANCE: Carrier has joined the league of chiller manufacturers adopting the new low GWP HFO refrigerant 1234ze(E) with a debut installation in Geneva Two Carrier AquaForce water-cooled screw chillers using the new refrigerant have been selected for the innovative Plan-les-Ouates district heating project in Geneva The first phase of the mixed-use real estate development project in Plan-les-Ouates enables the energy efficient recovery and re-use of waste heat from a data centre onsite, providing heating to local offices and other facilities. As part of the second phase, the extended installation is expected to provide heating to 3,000 individual homes within a planned residential zone The AquaForce chillers will provide 2.5MW of total heating capacity The project represents Europe’s first district heating project based on a water-cooled screw chiller using the new refrigerant Carrier SCS manufactured and tested the technology in its Montluel factory The system was delivered by Carrier’s Swiss distributor Walter Meier and the installation was completed in June FRANCE: The acquisition of CIAT by UTC the parent company of US air conditioning company Carrier which represents the 1,200 workers at CIAT’s factories in the Rhône-Alpes region voted in favour of the proposed acquisition and UTC’s bid is now before the European Commission competition lawyers with a provisional deadline of December 5 for a decision The company has 1,000 employees based outside France and boasts subsidiaries and approved distributors in over 70 countries Carrier’s main European factory at Montluel