LG Partners with ZāZEN Properties for HVAC in Dubai’s ZāZEN Gardens UAE: LG Electronics has partnered with ZāZEN Properties to equip the ZāZEN Gardens residential community in Al Furjan, Dubai, with advanced LG MULTI V VRF HVAC systems. The solution delivers high energy efficiency, superior indoor air quality and precise temperature control, supporting the project’s LEED Gold certification goals. Featuring fresh air handling units, advanced filtration and centralised controls

Directorate-General for Energy and Climate Outlines Key Updates for 6th CEE Period France: The Directorate-General for Energy and Climate Outlines Key Updates for 6th CEE Period as it recently clarified the heating-related terms for the 6th period of the Energy Savings Certificates (CEE), beginning 1 January 2026. During a 2 December 2025 webinar, officials announced a five-year framework to provide stakeholder visibility and set an annual obligation of 1,050 terawatt-hours-c

Ministry Faces Criticism Over Adopted Amendments to Energy Regulations France: The Ministry Faces Criticism Over Adopted Amendments to Energy Regulations as Florence Lievyn, president of the GPCEE and member of the Higher Council for Energy, denounces the government's inflexibility after the CSE adopted public-consultation amendments with an unfavourable government opinion. A key amendment keeps the 2030 target for tertiary buildings while restoring the 2027 ambition for resi

Maxeda DIY Plans Divestment of 10 Benelux Stores Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg: Maxeda DIY, owner of Brico and Praxis chains, is preparing to divest 10 company-operated stores across the Benelux region to strengthen its balance sheet. The portfolio would include 4 stores in the Netherlands, 4 in Belgium, and 2 in Luxembourg, while Maxeda would retain about 180 Dutch locations. The group plans to transfer the stores to franchise operators to reduce its debt, with expected pro

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

International Valves and Taps Alliance Launched to Boost Global Collaboration United States/Europe/Japan: The International Valves and Taps Alliance was officially launched on December 10th, bringing together leading associations of valve and tap manufacturers from the United States, Europe, and Japan. The new global alliance aims to enhance international knowledge sharing and provide common tools to tackle technological, regulatory, and environmental challenges across the va

Housing Prices Fall in China Amid Real Estate Slowdown China: Housing prices in China are falling, with new and previously owned homes dropping across major cities. In Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, prices fell 0.8%, while 31 large second-tier cities saw a 2% decline, and 35 medium-sized cities dropped 3.4%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Previously owned housing prices fell 4.4% in first-tier, 5.2% in second-tier, and 5.7% in third-tier cities,

Construction cost pressures delay projects in Western Australia Australia: Perth developments are facing delays as construction cost pressures continue to rise, according to Western Australia’s peak property industry body. Expectations that cost increases might stabilise have eased following new data indicating that pressures may intensify, contributing to a growing number of major projects being placed on hold. Industry representatives note that elevated input prices and lab

New Zealand residential construction rises in third quarter New Zealand: New Zealand’s residential building activity increased in the third quarter, indicating early signs of economic recovery following monetary stimulus by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Statistics New Zealand reported that the volume of residential building work rose 2.8 percent from the previous quarter, reversing a 3.3 percent decline. Activity has begun to edge higher from the four-year low recorded at

Australian building permits decline in October amid sector uncertainty Australia: The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a fall in building permits in October, with year-on-year growth shifting from 15.3 percent to minus 1.8 percent. The data points to a potential slowdown in the construction sector, raising concerns for developers and builders. Analysts note that the decline may reflect rising costs, supply chain constraints or shifts in consumer demand, and they are e

Indonesia to expand housing renovation and subsidy programmes in 2026 Indonesia: Indonesia plans to extend its self-help housing renovation programme to all districts and cities for the first time in 2026, according to the Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas, Maruarar Sirait. He noted that 224 districts and cities will not receive allocations in 2025, including 22 areas that have not received assistance through the Self-Help Housing Stimulus (BSPS) programme for five yea

Vietnam real estate body calls for monitoring measures amid rising housing prices Vietnam: The Vietnam Association of Realtors has reported increasing concern over the country’s housing market, noting that home prices continue to rise beyond the financial capacity of most households. In its latest assessment, the association stated that the market is showing signs of instability, with growth driven mainly by high-end developments and speculative activity, while affordable hou

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

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia 2026 budget outlines plans to build 80,000 new residential units and develop land with local and international developers, involving investments of nearly SAR 70 billion ($18.65 billion). The housing programme will support over 100,000 beneficiaries, with subsidised mortgages for low-income groups making up 35% of supported contracts, and aid for 20,000 vulnerable families. In 2025, more than 107,000 units and plots were delivered, 2.5

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

Trone Expands Its Design-Driven Bathroom Portfolio with New Celeste Mixer France: Trone, known for disrupting domestic and semi public toilets, is expanding into the bathroom sector with Celeste, its first monumental washbasin mixer. After “re enchanting the toilet” with its distinctive toilet bowls Icone, Callipyge and the Kaoline control plate, the brand now offers basins, washbasins (Orb and Rituel), and accessories (Trium), and has introduced Celeste a striking 60 cm brus