C&R 2023 celebrates a key edition for efficiency and sustainability

From 14^th-17^th November, the International Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Exhibition, C&R 2023, will once again make its name as the international benchmark for thermal installations, boasting the involvement of some of the leading companies and brands in the Air Conditioning, Climate Control, Ventilation, Industrial and Commercial Refrigeration, Heating and Plumbing sectors, offering a full showcase of innovations, trends and lines of progress in this industry. 

Organised by IFEMA MADRID, C&R 23 celebrates a strategic and highly anticipated event in this sector, bringing together a business representation that gives rise to a fair that surpasses its pre-pandemic edition and stands at almost double its 2021 edition. In figures, the fair showcases the latest from its 398 direct exhibitors, representing an increase of 98.5%. The international presence has also seen exponential growth, with 177 companies from 21 countries taking part this year - Germany, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Denmark, France, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. 

Similarly, the extension of the exhibition area has increased by almost 60%, with hall 5 hosting the Heating-ACS and Plumbing sector; hall 7 featuring Refrigeration, and hall 9 exhibiting the latest in the air conditioning, heat pumping and ventilation sector.

Thus, coinciding with the 20^th Anniversary of the fair and the impetus the sector is currently experiencing, C&R 2023 provides an opportunity to learn the keys to the evolution of the sector and to discover the solutions and trends that will mark the development of the industry. This year, the platform will have a particular focus on sustainability and all the equipment innovations that are becoming increasingly more efficient in terms of performance, energy saving, improvements in consumption levels and more respectful of the environment. The C&R offer will also include changes related to the European regulatory framework, decarbonisation, the implications of the adoption of new refrigerants, zero emissions buildings, intelligent climate control, energy rehabilitation and a complete range of solutions aimed at improving indoor air quality and environmental health, among others. 

YOUTH FRIDAY, new for C&R 23

This edition of the fair launches the Youth Friday initiative, consisting of a day dedicated to students taking specialised training and engineering courses, with the aim of attracting and creating a pool of young talent in response to the current demand for professionals and the generational change the HVAC sector is experiencing. It proposes several segmented itineraries, which will bridge the gap between the training and professional worlds, with the participation of companies, associations and institutions with a message focused on demonstrating the activity and potential of the sector, including sharing areas in the C&R Forum space, as well as within the contents of the workshop programme (Applied Techniques Workshop (TAC) and Refrigeration Workshop)

Additionally, the C&R Live Connect platform has designed an “employment exchange,” where students will have their own register and group, where they can upload their CV or cover letter to their profile. This transforms this space into a first point of contact with the exhibiting companies prior to the start of the fair.

C&R FORUM

The C&R FORUM conference programme, prepared in collaboration with the Sectorial and Professional Associations that make up the Technical Committee as part of the fair’s Organising Committee, will analyse the main challenges faced by the sector, as well as providing a forum for discussion and debate. Among other highly topical issues, the programme will address the IDAE guide and energy rehabilitation with heat pumps and the challenges this poses; disruptive solutions in industrial refrigeration; the technical implications of F-GAS in thermal and air conditioning installations; architecture in the energy rehabilitation of buildings; challenges faced in the design, construction and delivery of the new 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid; zero emissions buildings; challenges and solutions for food distribution and the first experiences with ESCs (Energy Saving Certification system).

INNOVATION GALLERY 2023

The C&R 2023 Innovation Gallery highlights the latest developments in air conditioning and refrigeration, as well as some of the trends towards which the industry is starting to gravitate in order to meet the requirements of the Technical Regulations and European Directives, such as energy efficiency, environmental protection, use of energy from renewable sources, contribution to the decarbonisation of installations and sustainability, by way of the use of materials with a low carbon footprint. The aim of the Gallery is to encourage innovation as a practical application of knowledge and technologies in industrial development, as well as giving broad visibility to the new developments taking place in the sector.

This year’s Innovation Gallery is comprised of a total of 20 products: The PBM4-i aerothermal heat pumps from Baxi Climatización; the Small Full Inverter EWYT-CZ R-32 heat pumps and the VRV-5 Heat Pump system with R32, both from Daikin Spain; the Heat on Demand R290 range of equipment for simultaneous heat and cold production, by Intarcon; Sophia, the device for boiler rooms located in buildings with centralised heating Systems, from Ista Metering Services España; the Ziran Pro range of high-efficiency air-to-water heat pumps from Keyter Intarcon Operations; the Therma V R290 Monobloc and ESS Home complete energy systems from LG; the Mediterráneo portable monobloc heat pump from Masam: the ECOi-W AQUA-G Blue reversible air-to-water heat pump and the Aquarea High Performance Generation L multi-tasking heat pump residential air conditioning system, both from Panasonic España; the Energy Recovery PX G1300 pressure exchanger device from Refricomp Ingeniería; the new  Samsung WindFree™ Elite range of wall units from Samsung Electronics Iberia; the SEC HD electric expansion valve controller from Sanhua International Europe; the SC|ECOINNOVA sustainable insulation air conditioner from Servicio de Climatización (Servoclima); the Compacto6 all-in-one unit and the TD EVO PF Ecowa in-line centrifugal fans, both from Soler & Palau; GOLD RX ventilation units made of Magnelis XCarb® RRP steel from Swegon Indoor Climate SAU; ZEAS CO2 condensing units for refrigeration from Tewis Smart Systems; the Multi System Dual Flow system using two closed circuits with microchannel technology from Thermokey SPA; and Schoolair S-HV / Schoolair V-HV decentralised ventilation units from Trox España.

APPLIED TECHNIQUES WORKSHOP (TAC) AND REFRIGERATION WORKSHOP

To top off the C&R activities, the Applied Techniques Workshop (TAC), organised by Agremia, and the Refrigeration Workshop, organised by AEFYT, in collaboration with the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology Training Centre in Moratalaz, will take place. Both workshops are aimed at installers to improve the training offered to these professionals and to promote good practices in installations. The Applied Techniques Workshop (TAC) is divided into five technical exhibitions on the concept of energy efficiency in thermal installations, under the following headings:  Integration of Thermal Installations in industrialised housing; Ventilation and Extraction with and without energy recovery; Hybrid aerothermal and geothermal heat pump systems with photovoltaic solar energy; Automation of Thermal Installations - Remote Management, and Treatment and working methods with non-fluorinated refrigerants.

The Refrigeration Workshop will also offer six different practices that will address the Assembly of a cold room. Handling of refrigerants; a Simulation of the Complete Control of an Electric Expansion Valve; the Indirect Refrigeration System with glycol. Welding of plastic pipes; the Propane refrigeration system with condensing waterloop; the Electronic controllers and electrical control boxes for cold rooms, and the EN12830-approved temperature recorder.