The 2023  Parliament Environment Audit Committee inquiry that closed on 17th August 2023 focussed on the issues of the relationship between heat and health, Government policies in relation to current and future need for cooling and what measures could be taken to increase adaptation and resilience to rising temperatures - sustainable cooling solutions and adaptation strategies that minimise overheating, reduce energy consumption and prevent overloading the electricity grid.   MPs are aiming to understand how communities can better adapt to increased temperatures without relying on energy-intensive solutions, such as air conditioning units.   

The IOR submitted a response drafted by members of our Beyond Refrigeration Environment Committee and Technical Committees that highlighted the importance of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps technologies to address overheating, energy management and emissions reduction matters.   The IOR response has been published on the Environment Audit Committee website at https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/123183/html/ 

 

Join the debate on the future of cooling

The IOR will be holding a Business Technical Briefing on Extreme Heat on 14th November in Birmingham where these issues and examples from other countries who are managing cooling in a wider temperature envelope will be discussed further.  Registrations for this event are now open

 

Beyond Refrigeration

Read more about IOR's Beyond Refrigeration policy work

 

TICR - understanding emissions

Where are emissions coming from in transport, industrial and commerical refrigeration (TICR) and what can be done to reduce them? What new technologies are coming that will have an impact? What skills are needed for the future?  Follow the TICR project, led by LSBU on behalf of DESNZ, with IOR support and involvment at www.netzerorefrigeration.uk 

 

 

 

 

Recent posts

Retail sustainability with the enough project

28 May 2025

Lots to discuss at the "enough" retail workshop on commercial refrigeration and food chain emissions reduction on  27th May

News

New IOR Guidance Note on Coaching

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IOR has published its latest Education Guidance Note in the series, this time focusing on Coaching as a way of employers supporting engineering and technician development.  The Guidance Note (16) gives a guide to understanding the benefits of coaching, how this differs from mentoring and includes a useful list of organisations who can offer help with setting up coaching schemes or offer coaching.

Publication

Members Back Cold Chain To Be Part of UK's Critical Infrastructure

21 May 2025

IOR members showed their support for the Cold Chain Federation (CCF) campaign to recognise the Cold Chain as part of the UK's critical national infrastructure, as they attended the CCF's reception at the Houses of Parliament on 20th May.

News

First Keynote Announced For Adaptation 2025

8 May 2025

Expert in climate change adaptation Tim Fox will deliver a keynote talk at the IOR’s Adaptation 2025 conference detailing why cooling is now a “mission critical” service, essential to public health, food security, global commerce, and economic well-being.

Live event

Missed the Presentation on Greenhouse Gas Mitigation?

7 May 2025

Watch this webinar on catch-up, which focused on implementing technologies and operational strategies capable of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the European retail sector. 

Recording