June 2014 - European HVAC Newsletter BRG Update: 2014 Heating Reports BRG Building Solutions has now published its industry reports Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom and the USA. BRG’s reports provide in-depth analysis of the heating market in each individual country. Product coverage includes boilers (including solid fuel boilers), jet burners, radiators, water heaters, furnaces, air conditioning as well as renewables (including heat pumps and solar thermal). These detailed market reports can assist businesses in undertaking effective and efficient market analysis and strategic planning, as they provide information about market demand, competition, distribution channels as well as changes in technologies and legislation. For further information, or a suitable offer, please contact us by email or telephone (+44 20 8832 7860). Alternatively, the 2014 reports are now available for purchase online using this link Nibe Introducing Internet Controls to Heat Pumps NORWAY: Nibe, the Swedish heating giant has begun adding remote controls that can be accessed via the internet to their heat pump systems. The service is called Nibe Uplink, and will provide rapid status updates for the heat pump and allow remote heating and water temperature control, while at the same time providing warnings via email if there is an error or problem arising with the system. The set up has been simplified to only require a network cable inserted into the heat pump, and from there the consumer or installer can remotely access the system to ensure prompt maintenance and immediate response to any potential problems. The standard version of Nibe Uplink will be made available for free, whereas the premium account with additional features and improved logging will be a paid service. The Heating Company Prepares Brand Migration NETHERLANDS: The Heating Company, supplier of heating and ventilation products, is preparing a brand migration to consolidate all its existing brands (Vasco, Brugman, Thermi and Superia) into one of its most well known brands: Vasco. The consolidation is part of a strategy to simplify marketing strategies as well as reducing production costs to leave more room for product development. The migration will not be overnight, and there will be a period of transitional period where the old brands continue with the caption “A Vasco brand”. Volution Acquires inVENTer, German Ventilation Manufacturer UNITED KINGDOM: The UK based ventilation manufacturer Volution has announced the acquisition of inVENTer, a leading manufacturer of decentralized residential heat recovery ventilation products based in Germany. This acquisition marks the third for Volution in the last two years following the purchase of Swedish ventilation companies Fresh and Pax, in an effort to further strengthen its European position. Swedish Heat Pump Association One Step Closer to Merger With Cooling & Heat Pump Federation SWEDEN: The Swedish Heat Pump Association (SWEEP), the industry body for the Swedish heat pump industry came one step closer in May to the merger with the Cooling & Heat Pump Federation (KVF) by the unanimous decision to disband SWEEP and transfer members to the KVF. SWEEP currently has approximately 600 members including manufacturers, importers and installers. Hybrid Heat Pumps Trials Launched in Denmark DENMARK: In the Danish village of Stenderup, the first Bosch hybrid heat pumps will be installed over the next few weeks for trial testing by 25 families living in the village. The heat pumps being installed are air/water systems that are connected to a natural gas boiler, allowing the system to be flexible with regards to electricity rates while being energy efficient and eco friendly. The families will also be testing solar heating systems, photovoltaic cells, geothermal heat pumps and electric cars, all of whom will be connected to a system which will monitor usage and spending, while allowing insight into energy consumption patterns. Spain reaches fourth place in largest annual construction in 2014 SPAIN: In 2014, Spain was the country in the EU with the third highest construction output during March and the fourth member state in the first quarter, with an annual increase of 19.1% and 19.5% respectively, reported the EU statistical office Eurostat. When compared to February, Spain recorded an increase of 1% in construction output, and when compared to the previous quarter between October and November, the increase is at 9%. The largest declines by comparison were felt by Portugal (3%), Netherlands (2.6%) and Germany (2.2%).