Daikin Applied Invests USD 163 Million in New R&D Test Lab in Minnesota U.S.: Daikin Applied has announced a USD 163 million investment to build a 71,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art R&D test lab at its Plymouth, Minnesota headquarters, reinforcing its commitment to advancing HVAC innovation across chillers, air handlers, heat pumps, and hyperscale data-center cooling technologies. The facility has begun phased commissioning of nine test cells, with full completion expected

NIBE enters Scottish distribution agreement with William Wilson Scotland: NIBE Energy Systems Limited has announced a distribution partnership with William Wilson, a plumbing, heating and bathroom merchant in Scotland. Beginning in January 2026, William Wilson is expected to stock and distribute NIBE’s air source and ground source heat pumps together with a range of related accessories. The agreement is intended to broaden access to NIBE products for installers and customers

Thermostat FRANCE: A decree issued on 7 June 2023 required all homes and buildings to be fitted with programmable thermostats by 2027. However, Finance Minister Roland Lescure announced via Bluesky that this deadline has been postponed to 2030 to provide “greater flexibility for households and professionals to equip themselves.” From 13 November until this Thursday, the government opened a public consultation on pushing the compliance date to 1 January 2030 for both residenti

After a few challenging years, the European ventilation market is finally seeing light at the end of the ductwork Ventilation manufacturers have faced better times. Following more than a decade of steady growth, demand for ventilation products in Europe peaked in 2022. Since then, sales have declined across most countries and product categories. Among the 23 European markets covered by the BRG Ventilation Programme 2025, only the UK, Ireland, Spain, Greece, France, and Belgiu

Trane Technologies United States: Trane Technologies has signed an agreement to acquire Stellar Energy Digital, a provider of turnkey liquid-to-chip cooling solutions for data centres. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Stellar Energy designs modular cooling plants and utility systems and employs around 700 people across two assembly facilities. The acquisition strengthens Trane’s position in the fast-growing data centre thermal-management market and creates opportunities to sca

Why Window ACs Still Dominate in the Philippines: A Regional Perspective Across Southeast Asia, the transition from traditional window air conditioners to more efficient split-type systems have become increasingly evident. Countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam have seen rapid uptake of split-type air conditioners, supported by rising household incomes, modernising housing stock and strong policy emphasis on energy-efficient appliances. The Philippines, however, rem

Italy launches biogas-powered district heating and cooling system Italy: Italy has introduced its first integrated district heating and cooling system powered entirely by biogas produced from sewage sludge. The facility, located in Peschiera Borromeo near Milan, uses anaerobic digestion to generate biogas that supplies both heat and chilled water. Developed by CAP Evolution, the project establishes a new technological model at the national level and supports Gruppo CAP’s long

Rongcheng added to Haiyang nuclear district heating network China: Rongcheng has become the third city in Shandong Province to receive district heating from the Haiyang nuclear power plant, according to the State Power Investment Corporation. The Warm Core No 1 project began supplying heat to Rongcheng’s urban area on 15 November. Haiyang and Rushan are already connected to the network. The Haiyang plant first launched its district heating service in November 2020, following

Daikin begins construction of new HVAC-R manufacturing facility in Jeddah Saudi Arabia: Daikin has begun construction of a new manufacturing facility in Jeddah, supported by its long-term partner and the Chairman of Daikin Saudi Arabia, Tariq Almutlaq. The groundbreaking took place on 26 November, and the plant will focus on the local production of chillers and hydronic heat pumps to serve customers in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. The development follows Daikin’s earlie

LG appoints new Chief Executive Officer for 2026 South Korea: LG Electronics has announced that Lyu Jae-cheol will become Chief Executive Officer from 1 December. He has been leading the Home Appliance Solution Company, where he oversaw growth through expanded B2B operations, subscription-based services and direct-to-consumer models. In his new role, he will work to extend the company’s home appliance capabilities across the wider organisation to support long-term competitive

LG expands B2G activities through partnership with Expo City Dubai UAE: LG Electronics is advancing its qualitative growth strategy in the Middle East by increasing its focus on business-to-government projects. On 19 November, the company signed a strategic partnership with Expo City Dubai to collaborate on the development of a next-generation smart city. The agreement follows earlier discussions at the Korea–UAE Business Roundtable, where both governments expressed interest

Daikin Expands Middle East Presence with New Manufacturing Facility in Jeddah Saudi Arabia: Daikin has opened a new manufacturing facility in Jeddah, managed by Daikin Applied Europe, to deliver locally made HVAC solutions tailored to the Middle East’s demanding climate and strengthen regional growth. Executives Claudio Capozio and Shinji Jodo highlighted the plant’s role in supporting major Saudi projects such as NEOM and the Red Sea development, while advancing Vision 2030

UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme Sees Record Heat Pump Grant Applications UK: The UK’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) has received over 102,735 grant applications, with 86,446 vouchers approved since its launch in May 2022, driven by strong demand in 2025. October saw 4,013 applications, 4% higher than October 2024, bringing the first ten months’ total to 37,700 applications, ahead of the previous annual record of 33,657 in 2024. BUS provides grants for air-source and ground-source heat

LG Electronics Advances Global Heat Pump Innovation Through Consortium Research United States/Norway/China/Saudi Arabia/South Korea: LG Electronics is accelerating the development of high-performance heat pumps through its Global Heat Pump Consortium, focusing on efficiency, reliability, and climate-specific performance across cold-humid to extreme heat regions. Since establishing the Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research (CAHR) in Alaska in 2023 with the University of A

Midea Malaysia MALAYSIA: Midea Malaysia has expanded its retail footprint with the launch of a new Midea Pro Shop in collaboration with Dynamic Air-Conditioners Sales & Service at No. 9A, Jalan Lychee, 96000 Sibu, Sarawak. The outlet offers a full showcase of Midea’s latest energy-efficient air-conditioning systems, including inverter models and smart solutions compatible with MSmartHome. With Dynamic Air-Conditioners’ established expertise in installation, maintenance, and t

Myra Partners with Panasonic to Equip New Shah Alam Development Malaysia: Myra, the residential division of Oriental Interest Bhd, has introduced Myra Senja, a mixed-use project in Shah Alam, alongside signing a memorandum of understanding with Panasonic Malaysia. Under the partnership, Panasonic will supply energy-efficient appliances for the project’s open-market residential units, including inverter air-conditioners, electric water heaters and induction hobs. Larger units

Chile Develops New Technical Standards for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Chile: Chile’s National Institute of Standardisation (INN) has begun developing two new Chilean Technical Standards intended to regulate practices in the country’s refrigeration and air conditioning sector. The process is being carried out by a technical committee led by the INN’s standards division, using proposals from the Ministry of the Environment. The Institute stated that both standards remai

Airzone Partners with Zeliatech to Expand HVAC Control Solutions in Italy Spain/Italy: Airzone, a Spanish provider of HVAC control technologies, has entered into a collaboration with Zeliatech Srl of the Esprinet Group to strengthen Zeliatech’s Smart Building division. Through this partnership, Zeliatech customers will gain access to Airzone’s temperature and air quality control systems, including multi-zone management integrated into leading home automation platforms. The co

As temperatures continue to rise and rapid urbanisation reshapes the Middle East, cooling demands have become central to national planning in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. With both countries launching large-scale residential, commercial, and industrial developments under their long-term visions, cooling is now positioned at the crossroads of sustainability, energy security, and economic diversification. Within this evolving landscape, decentralised cooling systems are eme

Strengthen District Cooling Malaysia: In a major sustainability push, ENGIE and Sunway Property announced the expansion of their joint-venture, ENGIE-Sunway DCS Sdn Bhd, to supply up to ~3,000 refrigeration tonnes of cooling capacity to eight Sunway Education buildings, including new Engineering Annex, Faculty of Engineering & Technology and Graduate Centre. The move will meet up to 60% of the campuses’ peak cooling demand and approximately 75% of their annual cooling require