Beyond Refrigeration

- the challenge to achieve net zero heating and cooling for the UK

The next Beyond Refrigeration Working Groups meetings on zoom are planned for 1^st July – during World Refrigeration Week celebrations – please register here to take part.

The breakout discussion this time will be themed around these topics covering all or some of the eight themes from the template:

Developing Good Practice Guidance Notes - eg on Maintenance for Efficiency, Skills, Working across functions, Systems settings and set points. What topics should be addressed and who has the information to include?
Communications campaign messaging – agree on priority sectors and relevant messaging/issues and consider how to communicate externally with NGOs or schools
Setting up Databases of existing Case studies, Benchmarking, Resources and Tools – what should be included and how it could be made easily accessible
Topics for Technology Briefs – prioritising topics to link to 8 themes, principles of independent evaluation, identifying experts
Drafting a Policy Paper to influence legislators/incentives/skills/energy suppliers – decide who target audience are, which legislative areas are most relevant, consider policy options
Setting up an Umbrella group for organisations / stakeholders to work together – who and how
CPD training on efficiency – key topics, target groups and mechanisms for delivery

19th May Working Group meeting notes

Feedback from the meeting

Introductory Slides from Graeme Maidment, chairing

More about Beyond Refrigeration

The IOR Annual Conference on 21-22 April 2021 provided a starting point by publishing case studies, running workshops and holding discussions on the seven Beyond Refrigeration topics shown in the diagram. Find out more about the Conference here.

All members are now being invited to join our Working Groups to explore these themes in more depth in a series of Zoom meetings and smaller break out sessions where we will discuss what tools and guidance end users will require to make progress towards a net-zero 2050.

The Beyond Refrigeration template

This draft template provides for steps for businesses to take towards Net Zero is available as a first draft - we invite comment and discussion on how we can pursue these tasks together. Download the Beyond Refrigeration Template here.

The purpose of Beyond Refrigeration is to provide a focus for activity to address climate change issues and provide a framework for technical leadership from the Institute of Refrigeration.

We all know that Climate Change is an issue of critical importance to everyone in all sectors. In the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump sectors the IOR can offer technical expertise to help members and their customers (the users of cooling equipment) to make appropriate decisions and to inform national and international policy development.

This infographic is a starting point, identifying seven areas that need to be addressed, it does not specify how they should be addressed - yet. This is because we want to open this discussion and encourage experts to share views so that suitable solutions can be proposed.

Our sector is willing and ready to take an active role in addressing the issue of climate change. The IOR as a non-commercial, non-profit making technical organisation, recognised as a world-class source of up to date, independent advice in the sector. IOR members have the expertise, practical experience, and professionalism to make a valuable contribution to the policy debate on how the UK can achieve low carbon heating and cooling. Uniquely, they also are responsible for providing the solutions to industry for current and future cooling needs - and for making sure that theoretical solutions work in practice and in the long term.

The IOR will, therefore, be carrying out a programme of activity to address the areas identified through:

Providing a forum for experts to further develop recommendations for how to address these issues. The reports of this work will be presented in draft at the IOR Annual Conference in April 2021 and more widely to the IOR membership during the year with drafts, technical papers and guidance notes.
Preparing Technical Guidance to implement solutions
A Communications Campaign to promote best practice
Engagement with Policymakers to develop a National Cooling Strategy that is relevant and achievable and supports the adoption of the best technical solutions for the future.

“These key areas are designed to focus our thinking, our discussions and our activity. We want to engage with our members who have the expertise to make these changes happen, with other technical experts who will support decision making and with policymakers who can put in place legislative frameworks and mechanisms to create lasting and effective change.” IOR President 2020, Kevin Glass FInstR

We welcome comment from members, policymakers and anyone else with an interest in the future of cooling. Contact us to join one of our working groups or post your comments on our linked-in page. Download Beyond Refrigeration - the challenge to achieve net zero heating and cooling here.