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

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

Energy Regulator Simplifies Conditions Ukraine: Ukraine has removed licensing requirements for producing thermal energy in cogeneration units when the energy is sold to a heat supply organization at a price not exceeding 50% of the single-rate population tariff, with businesses now only required to notify the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development, NKREKP, and local authorities within three working days of starting operations. The number of documents needed to ob

Expand UK District Heating UK: Veolia has announced a GBP 1 billion (USD 1.12 billion) project pipeline to be awarded by 2030 as part of its new Ecothermal Grid rollout in the UK, supporting the company’s goal to expand its district heating footprint using diverse energy sources to deliver carbon-neutral heating and cooling. With buildings responsible for 37% of the UK's CO₂ emissions and only 3% of national heat demand currently met by district heating far below the governme

Expands Into Home Cooling Malaysia: PRISM+ has expanded AC series, its Home & Living range in Malaysia with the introduction of the Luna Ultra, a 5-star rated smart inverter AC available in 1.0HP, 1.5HP and 2.0HP models, designed to cut energy consumption by up to 45% compared to basic non-inverter units and built specifically for local climate conditions. The unit features a corrosion-resistant GoldFin coating, advanced multi-layer filtration, a self-cleaning system, R32 ref

Push for German Subsidy Reform Germany: A new alliance of major European heating and climate technology manufacturers has jointly urged Germany to ensure that the upcoming push for subsidy reform of its Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings (BEG) strengthens domestic value creation. The coalition comprising Viessmann Climate Solutions, Bosch Home Comfort Group, Vaillant Group, and Stiebel Eltron from Germany; BDR Thermea Group from the Netherlands; Ariston Group from Italy;

New Efficiency Norms India: Blue Star notes that high inventory levels in the AC industry may ease by December as price-conscious consumers advance purchases ahead of new Bureau of Energy Efficiency norms taking effect in January, which are expected to push AC prices up by 5–7%. While tertiary sales have improved after GST was reduced from 28% to 18%, primary sales from manufacturers to dealers remain subdued. The company sees an opportunity in stricter efficiency requirement

France France: France’s latest refrigerant emissions inventory, released in September 2025 by AFCE (Alliance Froid Climatisation Environnement) and Citepa, shows continued progress in reducing fluorinated gas emissions. The report’s release comes as the updated European F-Gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 enforces stricter requirements from March 2024 onwards, including expanded technician certification, updated GWP-based labelling from 2025 for all fluorinated gas systems (includ