‘Climate-neutral’ chiller that runs on water

Refrigeration specialist Efficient Energy is claiming a world first with the launch of a climate-neutral chiller that uses water as a refrigerant.

The German company made news last year when it won third place in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 ranking – an award for the fastest growing companies in the country. This growth was based on strong uptake of chillers that use water (R718) as a refrigerant, particularly in data centres and server rooms, industrial processes, machines and in technical air conditioning.

Since then, Efficient Energy has undertaken a process with ClimatePartner to calculate the carbon footprint of the eChiller range, from raw material and logistics data through to packaging and disposal. The CO₂ equivalent emissions of these products were then offset by a recognised climate protection project.

According to Efficient Energy, the refrigeration and air conditioning equipment used by the global refrigeration industry accounts for around 8 per cent of the world’s CO₂ emissions. But if the emissions from the entire life-cycle of a chiller are included, from raw material extraction to disposal, the impact is much greater.

“Not only are we pioneers of sustainable refrigeration technology and stand for water as a refrigerant,” says Efficient Energy CEO Georg Dietrich, “but holistic climate protection and sustainable business belong to our unambiguous corporate values. With Efficient Energy itself having been climate neutral since 2020, it’s the next logical step of our Green Pledge that our products should also be climate neutral. I hope as many companies as possible will be as resolute as us in implementing their sustainability goals, and will have the courage to take the next steps towards a climate-neutral industry.”