International HVACR News & Updates | November 2024

The Sutton Dwellings estate in Chelsea has become a trailblazer in low-carbon heating with the installation of ground source heat pumps across 80 flats. Using 27 boreholes drilled beneath the estate, the system provides efficient heating, challenging misconceptions that heat pumps are unsuitable for older or urban properties. As part of a refurbishment of this Edwardian-era housing, the project demonstrates the potential of heat pumps to decarbonize social housing, offering a blueprint for councils nationwide as the UK works toward its net zero goals.

The UK government has granted £5.2m to Ideal Heating in Hull and Gledhill in Blackpool to accelerate heat pump production. With an additional £6.8m invested by the companies, the funding will enable the manufacture of 115,000 air source heat pumps and 120,000 pre-plumbed hot water cylinders annually by 2030.

Energy consumers minister Miatta Fahnbulleh called the investment a "vote of confidence" in the UK's shift to low-carbon heating. Ideal Heating’s chief operations officer, Jason Speedy, said the funding would help drive the transition to technologies that will heat homes and businesses sustainably for decades. This initiative marks the first funding from the government’s Heat Pump Investment Accelerator competition, designed to boost private sector support for low-carbon solutions.

Polish authorities have intercepted 115 tonnes of illegal F-gas as part of a coordinated European effort to combat the unlawful refrigerant trade. The operation, conducted under the EU’s JCO Khione 2024 initiative, uncovered smuggled gas tanks, charging equipment, vehicles, and falsified documents. Nine individuals were arrested and charged with offenses including customs evasion and transporting dangerous materials. Inspections, carried out across multiple provinces and border crossings, used advanced detectors to identify unauthorized shipments. The seized F-gas, imported illegally to bypass taxes and environmental regulations, underscores the challenges of enforcing stricter controls on high-impact greenhouse gases across Europe.