The ATMOsphere Podcast Network

This chapter examines the market availability of commercial chillers and heat pumps using natural refrigerants. Data on market availability was gathered from the websites and product brochures of manufacturers who sell their products in Europe.  ⁠Read it online or download the PDF

Refra manufactures hydrocarbon-based chillers and heat pumps as well as transcritical CO₂ (R744) racks. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Vilnius, Lithuania. For this Deep Dive ATMOsphere spoke with Evaldas Kimso, Chief Commercial Officer at Refra, about the company’s chillers and heat pumps. ⁠Read it online or download the PDF

SCM Frigo’s Manfred Mahnert, International Business Development Director, and Mirko Bernabei, Beijer Ref OEM Segment Technical Director, spoke about the development of the SMART Heat Pump and their outlook on the commercial HVAC sector. ⁠Read it online or download the PDF

Secon is a German manufacturer of hydrocarbon heat pumps and chillers. The company was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Gondelsheim. Secon also manufactures brine-cooled CO₂ (R744) racks for deep-freezing applications, as well as dry and adiabatic coolers. For this Deep Dive ATMOsphere spoke with Joachim Schadt, CEO at Secon, about the company’s products and its outlook on the commercial HV...

Systemair acquired Menerga, a German manufacturer of AHUs, in 2013. For this Deep Dive, ATMOsphere spoke with Slobodan Rakulj, R&D Engineer at Systemair Slovenia, about Menerga’s newest AHU, which features an integrated CO₂ (R744) heat pump, and the opportunity for natural refrigerants in integrated HVAC systems. ⁠Read it online or download the PDF

For this Deep Dive ATMOsphere spoke with Roman Weingart, Manager of the Heating and Cooling Business Unit at TEKO, about why demand for CO₂ chillers and heat pumps has grown in recent years along with the challenges that need to be addressed to unlock further growth. ⁠Read it online or download the PDF

In addition to what we published this week, these stories caught our attention. Panasonic Provides R290 Heat Pumps for Retirement Home in Germany Danfoss CO2 Smart Store in Denmark Cuts Energy Use by 60% Compared to ‘Benchmark Store’ Australia Proposes New GWP Limits LU-VE Joins NASRC as Gold Member Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

German transport refrigeration manufacturer ECOOLTEC has debuted T15 , a new monotemperature propylene (R1270)/CO2 (R744) transport refrigeration unit designed for electric trucks, including rigid trucks, drawbar trailers and semi-trailers. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a nonprofit that supports adoption of natural refrigerants in supermarkets, has announced that it will be leading two-day technician training on natural refrigerant systems across New York State from February 2027 through the end of 2027. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

ATMOsphere, publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, will host an online event Thursday, October 8 at 2 pm CEST summarizing the key findings from its “Commercial Chillers and Heat Pumps with Natural Refrigerants in Europe” report. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

Martin Millow, Mayekawa Australia’s General Manager NZ, discussed the growing use of natural refrigerants and adoption of ammonia (R717) heat pumps in New Zealand’s industrial sector in an interview with ATMOsphere’s Co-Founder and COO Jan Dusek. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

ATMOsphere, publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, has released a new report on commercial chillers and heat pumps in Europe. ⁠“Commercial Chillers and Heat Pumps with Natural Refrigerants: Europe 2025”⁠ covers the policy and market drivers of the sector. It features data on the number of hydrocarbon, CO2 (R744) and ammonia (R717) commercial chillers and heat pumps currently on the market in Europe...

Commercial refrigeration supplier FCR (Federal Commercial Refrigeration) , a brand of commercial foodservice equipment distributor Federal Hospitality Equipment, has launched a propane (R290) waterloop refrigeration range across Australia and New Zealand. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

In addition to what we published this week, these stories caught our eye. The NASRC Releases New Food Retailer Survey Report Johnson Controls Launches New Industrial Hydrocarbon Heat Pumps Mirai Intex to Present New Propane Turbo Compressor at Chillventa 2026 Sensata Launches R290 Pressure and Temperature Sensor for EVs Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

A new 5.5MW (1,563TR) CO2 (R744) cold storage facility has been built in Yancheng, China, for Huiyuan Juice, the country’s largest juice manufacturer. Italy-based heat exchanger manufacturer LU-VE shared news about the project , for which it supplied 28 air coolers from its production facility in Tianmen, China. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

U.S.-based manufacturer Lync by Watts has provided a commercial CO2 (R744) air-source heat pump system for domestic hot water at a new-build apartment complex in Amherst, Massachusetts. The 90-unit building is described by its developer as “the first all-electric living community in downtown Amherst.” The building’s developers sought a heat pump that could function in ambient temperatures as low a...

The technology for natural refrigerant solutions across 99.9% of HVAC&R systems already exists and is mature enough for large-scale deployment, according to Armin Hafner, a Professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Bottlenecks in widespread adoption include market acceptance, end-user awareness and a shortage of skilled engineers and technicians, Hafner told Jan Dusek...

Panasonic HVAC & CC, part of the Japan-based Panasonic group, has launched its CO2 (R744) outdoor condensing units (OCUs) in Singapore , with the first installation operating at the Sheng Siong Rivervale Mall store in Sengkang. The Singapore lineup comprises six factory-assembled models from 2 to 20HP, with an ambient operating range of −20 to 45°C (−4 to 113°F) and low- and medium-temperature...

At DeCicco & Sons’ Sleepy Hollow store , Flō Energy Solutions’ HVAC unit, equipped with a CO2 (R744) direct expansion (DX) coil, is returning 60°F (16°C) refrigerant to the store’s transcritical CO2 rack even in summer, according to Niel Hayes, Senior Research and Development Engineer at Hillphoenix . Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

The chemical industry for decades produced f-gas refrigerants (CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs) with very high GWPs – hundreds if not thousands of times that of CO2 (R744)’s GWP of one – thereby contributing to the crisis of global warming that led to heat waves across Europe and other regions this summer. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

Iceland-based Kælitækni installed natural refrigerant products in 2025 that avoided the lifetime release of 122,500 metric tons of CO2e (GWP 20) and 7.2 metric tons of TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), according to estimations by ATMOsphere, the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com . The calculation was done as part of the process for approving Kælitækni for the ATMO Approved Natural Refrigerants Label...

In partnership with German energy utility provider RheinEnergie, Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe, part of the Ardagh Group, is installing two ammonia (R717) heat pumps as part of a 3.5MW (995.2TR) system to decarbonize heating at its Obernkirchen facility. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com

ATMOsphere, publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com , has announced the final program for the ATMO MAC Summit 2026 × TU Berlin , which will feature presentations from Ford, Tata Motors and Volkswagen. Ford and Volkswagen are returning presenters, having spoken about their research and work with propane (R290) and CO2 (R744) MAC systems , respectively, at previous ATMO MAC Summits. Read the full story...

Working with Californian Hanabi Lager Company, Pro Refrigeration is testing the viability of a CO2 (R744) chiller for small breweries and determining its potential return on investment (ROI) by comparing it with an R454C chiller operating at RD Winery. Pro Refrigeration installed a roughly 20.8TR (73TR) CO2 system, powered by two 25HP Dorin compressors, at Hanabi’s facility in Napa Valley.  Read t...

The articles in the podcast are as follows: ATMO America 2027 Is Set for June 16–17 in New York City Environmental Groups Urge U.S. EPA to Reject HFO Coolant for Data Centers Australia Considering New HFC Restrictions Interview: Vapor Sensor Control Could Cut Part-Load Energy Use by Roughly 40%, Says HB Products Manager Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Develops Ultra-Low-Temperature Nitrogen Brine Chil...