Honeywell announced that Honeywell’s Solstice ze refrigerant has enabled Q-REF's KIBO chiller to be 46% more energy efficient compared to traditional ammonia-powered solutions. The collaboration with Q-REF supports Honeywell’s recently announced plans to align its portfolio around three compelling megatrends, including the energy transition.

As cold storage capacity needs rise in Europe and across the world, so does the need for energy since power costs account for 50 to 70% of the spending for cold storage and logistics.

"Because of Honeywell Solstice, our KIBO chiller, powered by Danfoss Turbocor’s compressor technology, is reaching never before seen energy efficiency levels in the cold storage industry,” said Benoit Duparc, CEO of Q-REF. “KIBO is now able to save nearly 20% in maintenance operations, while being 30% smaller and lighter than traditional ammonia chillers we otherwise would have had to use.”

In 2019, the European Union announced Fit for 55 as part of its European Green Deal strategy, adopting an “energy efficiency first” principle - with a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. Honeywell Solstice technology helps Q-REF’s customers contribute to Europe's ambitious emissions targets, while complying with the newest revision of the F-Gas regulation.

“As the shift to low global warming potential refrigerants continues, Honeywell is accelerating innovation to create responsible replacements that lower carbon footprints, improving energy efficiency, safety and performance,” said Julien Soulet, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Advanced Materials in EMEA. “Honeywell Solstice technology supports manufacturers like Q-REF in developing efficient chillers to meet Europe's increasing regulatory targets around energy consumption."