Workshops and short courses

Monday 11th August 

Workshop 1: Adapting to Heat: Navigating the Challenges of Rising Ambient Temperatures on Refrigerants in Global Transport

Chair: Chris Rhodes, Cambridge Refrigeration Technology.

As global temperatures rise, the refrigerated transport sector faces unprecedented challenges. The interplay between ambient temperature increases and refrigerant performance is critical, influencing energy efficiency, operational reliability, and compliance with environmental regulations.

This workshop will explore:

• Impact of Rising Ambient Temperatures: Understanding how elevated external temperatures affect refrigerant efficiency and system performance.
• Refrigerant Behaviour Under Stress: Insights into how different refrigerants respond to higher ambient conditions and the implications for system design and operation.
• Adaptation Strategies: Practical solutions and technologies to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures on refrigerated transport systems.
• Case Studies and Real-World Applications: Sharing experiences and lessons learned from the field to inform best practices.

Workshop 2: Refrigeration Adaptation and Mitigation Solutions for Building Resilience to Extreme Heat

Chair Catarina Marques, London South Bank University 

This confirmed workshop will explore innovative refrigeration adaptation and mitigation strategies aimed at enhancing building resilience to extreme heat. While initial discussions considered broader themes such as emissions and future decarbonisation scenarios, the final focus emphasizes practical, scalable solutions within the refrigeration sector—particularly in the context of climate adaptation. The session will feature expert speakers with technical and policy expertise, offering interdisciplinary insights into the challenges and opportunities for implementing resilient cooling strategies in buildings. This workshop is part of the conference’s broader commitment to advancing actionable solutions in response to climate extremes.

Workshop 3: Unlocking Hidden Value in Your Refrigeration Data – A Hands-On Workshop

Chair: John Clarke MInsR Star Refrigeration

As global temperatures rise, the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump (RACHP) sector must meet soaring demand efficiently and sustainably. Data holds the key but without the right tools and workflows, most operational data simply becomes dark data (information collected but never analysed). In this interactive session, you’ll access industrial refrigeration datasets and digital twin simulations in the Ethos cloud-based analytics environment to explore and search for insights that can drive better energy performance, reliability and resilience.

What you’ll experience

• Introduction: Overview of the piping and instrumentation diagrams for three working industrial refrigeration systems and identification of the key measurement points.
• Digital Twin: Review the setup and output of the digital twin.
• Platform Tour: Log in to the Ethos cloud-based analytics environment, explore dashboards, experiment with different visualisations, and create energy baselines.
• Data Exploration: Build your own charts, heat maps and KPIs using both measured and model-derived data. Test hypotheses and search for insights.
• Conclusions: Share your findings, debate root causes and formulate actionable recommendations for performance tuning and energy savings.

Who should attend

• Engineers and managers who want to see how data can optimise the cold chain.
• Consultants, sustainability officers and researchers who want hands-on experience with industrial refrigeration analytics and simulation.
• Anyone eager to go beyond static spreadsheets and legacy reports to interactive data exploration.

What you need to bring

• Your own laptop or tablet with a modern web browser, connected to Wi-Fi.

Workshop 4: Design to Disaster: Understanding Cooling Failures in High Ambient Temperatures

Chair: Lawrence Leask,Kaizen Energy Consultancy

Workshop Description:

As global ambient temperatures rise, cooling systems are increasingly pushed to their limits. This practical workshop explores the real-world implications of high ambient conditions on system design, capacity, and reliability. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how system sizing and specification must adapt, why performance degrades under heat stress, and how to mitigate risk through better design, maintenance, and operation.

Key topics include:

• The impact of ambient temperature on cooling capacity and performance

• Understanding condensing temperatures and condenser ΔT

• Mitigation strategies for rising ambient and condensing temperatures

• Consequences of fouled coils and poorly positioned equipment

• Correct coil cleaning procedures

• Case study: 57% performance improvement and reduced failures

• Lessons from failure: The Guys & St Thomas’ data centre incident

This session is aimed at engineers, facility managers, and designers seeking practical, evidence-based insights to improve cooling resilience in a changing climat

Tuesday 12th August 

Workshop 5: Code of Practice - Designing Systems for Rising Ambient Temperatures   

Chair: Judith Evans, Institute of Refrigeration 

Higher heat levels will affect the ability of refrigeration systems to function. Recent work in the UK has identified that there are no comprehensive and widely agreed practices to ensure that refrigeration systems continue to operate as the climate changes. The workshop will provide information on a UK initiative lead by the IOR, IMechE, Cibse, CCF and Bsria to develop a Code of Practice to design, maintain and operate refrigeration systems as the climate warms. The workshop will:

• Describe the background to the work and why this Code is important and why it is being developed.
• Provide information on the draft Code.
• Invite attendees to provide feedback and engage with the Code development.

Short course 1  - Using Energy Benchmarking to Reduce Cost and Emissions

Session leads: Tom Southall, Deputy Chief Executive, Cold Chain Federation and Andy Pearson, Group Managing Director, Star Refrigeration

Course Description:
This focused short course will equip participants with the knowledge and tools to apply energy benchmarking as a strategy to cut energy costs and reduce emissions in temperature-controlled logistics and storage operations. The session will combine strategic insight with technical expertise. Attendees will explore how benchmarking enables businesses to measure performance, identify inefficiencies, and implement cost-effective improvements, all while supporting climate goals and compliance.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the principles and value of energy benchmarking
• Access and apply utilise outputs from the Cold Chain Federation’s Energy Benchmarking Service
• Interpret benchmarking data to drive operational decision-making
• Identify key areas for efficiency improvements in refrigeration systems
• Learn from real-world benchmarking case studies 

Course Content:

Introduction to Energy Benchmarking 

• Sector trends, challenges, and the Cold Chain Federation’s benchmarking initiative for cold storage
• How to get involved and use the service to inform strategy

Technical Deep Dive: Benchmarking in Practice

• Star Refrigeration’s approach to energy benchmarking
• Real-life examples of performance improvement and emissions reduction
• Practical guidance on system analysis and upgrades

Who Should Attend:

This short course is ideal for professionals in cold chain operations, energy and sustainability management, engineering, logistics, and facilities planning — especially those looking to reduce costs and meet emissions targets through data-driven strategies.

Wednesday 13th August 

Workshop 6: EU ENOUGH Workshop (All day workshop from 10.00 -17.30)

The ENOUGH project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the food sector, which contributes 20–40% of global emissions. It aligns with the EU Farm to Fork strategy, providing tools and methods to help food businesses achieve climate neutrality. The project objectives are to  define pathways to climate-neutral food businesses,  enhance sustainability across the food supply chain and inform policy makers, businesses, and stakeholders about innovative solutions for reducing emissions.

The project has demonstrated practical solutions across various stages of the food chain, including processing, transport, retail, and domestic consumption, focusing on products such as meat, fish, fruits/vegetables, and dairy.

This meeting will provide an opportunity for partners to reflect on the project’s outcomes and explore future opportunities for applying the demonstrated solutions at scale. Register now to secure your attendance.

 To attend this workshop please register here