FAQ

1. general & natural refrigerants

Synthetic refrigerants (F-gases such as R404A, R134a, R507) are subject to strict legal regulations (F-Gas Regulation) and are artificially scarce and expensive. Natural refrigerants such as ammonia (NH3), CO2 (R744) and propane (R290) are future-proof, not affected by bans and usually much more energy-efficient. You are therefore investing in safety and low operating costs.

We specialize in industrial and commercial applications. This ranges from supermarket refrigeration systems and logistics centers to large industrial systems in the megawatt range. We are not the right partner for private air conditioning systems (split units in residential buildings).

We are an engineering office for planning and consulting. This means that we design the system, draw up the tender documents and supervise the installation. The installation itself is carried out by qualified refrigeration companies, which we are happy to recommend or supervise. This guarantees you independent quality control – we check what others build.

2. safety & technology (ammonia / CO2)

Ammonia is toxic, but can be safely controlled in modern refrigeration technology. It has been used successfully for over 100 years. Strict safety regulations, gas warning systems, ventilation systems and automatic shut-offs minimize the risk. In addition, ammonia has a decisive advantage: you can smell it even in tiny, harmless concentrations (“self-warning”) long before a dangerous concentration develops.

At high outside temperatures, CO2 changes its physical state, which means that conventional liquefaction is no longer possible. This used to be considered inefficient. Today, we use modern technologies (ejectors, parallel compression) that make CO2 systems highly efficient even at the height of summer. This makes them a fully-fledged alternative for almost all applications.

Propane is flammable. This is why we mostly use it in so-called “chillers” in outdoor installations. The flammable gas remains outside on the roof, with only water pipes leading into the building. In this way, we combine the outstanding efficiency of propane with maximum safety inside the building.

3. project process & refurbishment

Not as a rule. We know that downtime costs money. When refurbishing existing buildings, we plan transitional solutions (e.g. rental refrigeration or gradual switchover) so that your production or logistics can continue to run almost seamlessly.

This depends heavily on the complexity and the approval procedures (e.g. according to BImSchG). We often prepare an initial feasibility study within a few weeks. For large-scale projects, you should allow several months to a year from the first stroke to commissioning.

Often yes. Before we recommend a new build, we check the existing system (“retrofit”). Sometimes replacing fans (EC technology), installing frequency converters or a new control strategy is enough to save 15-20 % energy and extend the service life by years.

4. costs & funding

They are often slightly more expensive to purchase (investment costs/CAPEX) than standard systems, as the components are of a higher quality (steel instead of copper for NH3, high pressures for CO2) and the safety requirements are higher. However, if you consider the life cycle costs (TCO) over 10 or 15 years, they are almost always the more economical solution due to the enormous electricity savings and low refrigerant prices.

Yes, and considerably so. The state promotes the switch to natural refrigerants and energy efficiency (e.g. BAFA module 4) with high subsidies (often 25-50% of the eligible costs). We check the eligibility for subsidies for each project and draw up the necessary concepts.