Chillventa 2026 concluded in Nuremberg, Germany, with 1,170 exhibitors from 50 countries and more than 36,000 trade visitors. Exhibitor numbers increased by 16% compared with 2024, while visitor attendance rose by 10%. Almost 60% of visitors came from outside Germany.
The exhibition brought together manufacturers, plant operators, specialist planners, architects, retailers and tradespeople from the refrigeration, air-conditioning, ventilation and heat pump sectors. Key topics included sustainability, the circular economy, data centre cooling, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, heat pumps and refrigerants.
The supporting programme featured more than 200 lectures across the Chillventa CONGRESS and three specialist forums covering refrigeration technology, climate, ventilation, heat pumps, applications, training and regulations. The congress attracted over 300 participants. The new Future Hub focused on digitalisation, AI, social media and skilled worker recruitment.
Technical demonstrations included the generation and measurement of harmonics in electrical equipment, presented by the Bundesfachschule. The AIT Heat Pump Innovation Lounge demonstrated drying and steam generation using industrial heat pumps. A refrigeration mechatronics competition also involved participants assembling, wiring, testing and commissioning refrigeration systems.
“All the presentations were very well attended and the choice of topics was right on the cutting edge,” said Dr Rainer Jakobs, coordinator of Chillventa CONGRESS. The next European Heat Pump Summit is scheduled for 26–27 October 2027, while Chillventa 2028 will take place on 10–12 October 2028, preceded by the Chillventa CONGRESS on 9 October.
Natural Refrigerants, Smart Controls and Industrial Heat Pumps Lead New Product Launches
The show highlighted a clear shift in the HVAC&R industry toward natural refrigerants, high-efficiency compressors, intelligent controls, industrial heat pumps and digitally connected refrigeration systems.
The main product developments include new R290 and CO2-compatible components, expanded variable-speed compressor platforms, next-generation condensing units, advanced fan technologies and integrated control systems designed to reduce energy consumption and simplify operation.
Three themes stand out:
- Low-GWP refrigerants: manufacturers are expanding their R290, CO2 and A2L offerings for commercial refrigeration, heat pumps and industrial systems.
- System-level efficiency: development increasingly targets the performance of the complete refrigeration or heating system rather than individual components.
- Digital integration: controllers, sensors, variable-speed drives, software and cloud connectivity are becoming core elements of HVAC&R equipment.
This overview covers 22 manufacturers and their key products at the show.
1. Danfoss: Condensing Units, Digital Controls and Drives
Key products: Optyma Fit, AK-EC Lite, iC7-HVACR, OUB oil separators, TXV Tuner
Danfoss presented a new-generation condensing unit for A1 and A2L refrigerants, the first controller in its Advanced Control Edge family and a new variable-frequency drive for chillers, heat pumps, compressors, fans and pumps.
2. Embraco: Variable-Speed Compressors and Integrated Refrigeration Controls
Key products: Embraco Pulse, Sync it All Pro, Bioma+, VLT, VEHD
Embraco presented R290 variable-speed compressors, a digitally modulated scroll compressor platform, a new-generation cold room condensing unit and an integrated system combining compressors, controllers and fan motors.
3. CAREL: Advanced Refrigeration Control and AI-Assisted Tools
Key products: pRack, Heos Pro, STone, RED Pilot, MPXPRO
CAREL presented a new rack controller generation, an AI-powered programming ecosystem and digital tools that turn HVAC&R equipment into connected assets for remote monitoring.
4. ebm-papst: Next-Generation Fans and Digital Ecosystems
Key products: AxiBlade.Perform, AxiBlade.S.Perform, NEXAIRA
ebm-papst presented its new AxiBlade.Perform and AxiBlade.S.Perform fan series for the first time, together with its NEXAIRA digital ecosystem for monitoring and predictive maintenance.
5. BITZER: CO2 Compressors, HELICOM and Next-Generation Screw Compressors
Key products: HELICOM CS60, CSH2T, ECOLINE CO2 6-cylinder compressors, ECOLITE CO2 condensing units, ORBIT PRO, ACP SINGLE, PERFORMANCE KITS
BITZER presented new compressors and condensing units for data centre cooling, high-temperature heat pumps and CO2, propane and ammonia applications, along with retrofit kits for existing ECOLINE compressors.
6. GEA: Industrial Heat Pumps and Vibration-Reduction Technology
Key products: Grasso V compressor frame, air-spring system, RedGenium heat pumps, Omni NG control panel
GEA presented a new Grasso V compressor frame and a self-levelling air-spring system to reduce vibration, along with expanded RedGenium heat pumps with supply temperatures up to 95°C.
7. Copeland: Industrial Heat Pumps, CO2 Refrigeration and Oil-Free Compressors
Key products: Vilter VQ95, Aero-lift, CO2 scroll units, inverter swing rotary compressors
Copeland presented technologies for industrial process heating with hot water up to 180°C, oil-free centrifugal compressors for data centres and CO2 scroll units for commercial refrigeration.
8. Alfa Laval: High-Pressure and Natural-Refrigerant Heat Exchangers
Key products: AXP172, SE43, CB450, CB16SL, TS45 semi-welded plate heat exchanger
Alfa Laval presented new heat exchangers for natural refrigerants, high-pressure systems and industrial heat pumps, including its largest copper-brazed units to date.
9. Tecumseh: New Compressor and Condensing Unit Platforms
Key products: Nexus, Vector, Axion, Spirion, Orion, Astra, Silensys Scroll Inverter
Tecumseh introduced new compressor and condensing unit platforms for R290, A2L and A1 refrigerants, covering fixed-speed, variable-speed and scroll applications.
10. SKF: Magnetic and Precision Bearings for High-Speed Chillers
Key products: MBx, CeraDrive, Extreme Super-Precision Bearings
SKF presented its new MBx active magnetic bearing series for high-speed chillers, alongside hybrid ceramic and super-precision bearings for centrifugal compressors.
11. Midea: Heat Pumps, Smart Air Conditioning and Home Energy Management
Key products: H-Pack, VitaBreeze, Raynor Pro, PortaSplit, MHELIOS
Midea presented an indoor heat pump that needs no outdoor unit, cold-climate split air conditioners and a home energy management platform linking solar, battery storage, EV charging and heat pumps.
12. Hitachi Scroll Compressor: Inverter Compressors for Low-GWP Refrigerants and Thermal Management
Key products: R290 DC inverter scroll compressors, R454C DC inverter compressors, horizontal scroll compressors, compressors for energy storage temperature control
Hitachi Scroll Compressor made its first independent appearance at Chillventa, presenting R290 and R454C inverter compressors for heat pumps and compressors for transport and battery energy storage thermal management.
13. INTARCON: New CO2 Condensing Units and Natural Refrigerant Solutions
Key products: intarCU2BE transcritical CO2 condensing unit, intartop PRO, Sigilus A2L INVERTER, R290 intarCUBE Full INVERTER, dry cooler with integrated hydraulic unit
INTARCON presented a new transcritical CO2 condensing unit with capacities up to 40 kW for supermarkets, alongside R290 and A2L refrigeration equipment.
14. Delta Electronics: Next-Generation EC Motor, EC Fans, HVDC and EC Pumps
Key products: next-generation EC fan motor, EC fans, HVDC pump, integrated EC pumps
Delta unveiled a new EC fan motor, EC fan portfolio and pump line-ups for HVAC, data centre and industrial applications.
15. MSA Safety: Bacharach X-SERIES Refrigerant Monitors and NDIR Sensor
Key products: Bacharach X30 and X50 refrigerant monitors, X10 Remote Sensor, NDIR Refrigerant Gas Sensor, Parasense software
MSA Safety presented its new Bacharach X-SERIES refrigerant monitors and debuted an NDIR refrigerant gas sensor with a detection limit of approximately 60 ppm.
16. Epta and Hauser: ecoFusion R290 Subcooler, XL Rack, Integral Cabinets, MyEpta
Key products: ecoFusion R290 subcooler, HAUSER XL Rack, Zenith VP Integral Air, MIRENGO Integral Air, MyEpta digital platform
Epta exhibited with Hauser for the first time, presenting an R290 subcooler for transcritical CO2 power packs, its first rack for industrial refrigeration and propane plug-in cabinets.
17. Eliwell and Schneider Electric: Connected Refrigeration Controls
Key products: EWHT 600 cold room controllers, Silent Guardian service, Eliwell AIR platform, IDNext 900 and 1000 controllers, LKDNext leak detector, Modicon M172 and M173 controllers
Eliwell and Schneider Electric presented connected controls, cloud services and leak detection for commercial refrigeration, HVAC and data centre cooling.
18. Panasonic Heating & Cooling: Aquarea R290/R454C Heat Pumps, ECOi-W R290 Chiller
Key products: Aquarea M-Series (R290), Aquarea N-Series (R454C), ECOi-W AQUA-G EVO R290 chiller, Commercial Edge Solution
Panasonic presented new R290 Aquarea M-Series heat pumps, an R454C split heat pump and an R290 inverter chiller as part of its European strategy.
19. Friga-Bohn (LFB Group): “Library of Solutions” Stand
Key products: NK Industrial Cubic Cooler, NOVA CO2 Cubic Unit Cooler, AZUR Ceiling Unit Cooler, CO2LD XS CO2 rack
Friga-Bohn presented its “Library of Solutions” stand with unit coolers and a compact CO2 rack for commercial and industrial refrigeration.
20. BAC and Eurocoil: Adiabatic, Dry and Evaporative Cooling, Finned-Tube Coils
Key products: TrilliumSeries adiabatic cooler and condenser, dry cooler, Polairis PLC3 evaporative condenser, MATRXDRIVE fan array, COBALT immersion cooling system, Eurocoil finned-tube heat exchangers
BAC presented adiabatic, dry and evaporative heat rejection equipment and immersion cooling for industrial refrigeration, process cooling and data centres, while Eurocoil showed finned-tube heat exchangers for R290, CO2 and ammonia.
21. FLIR (Teledyne): Connected HVACR Diagnostics
Key products: Extech ExView app, FLIR iXX-Series thermal cameras, Extech AN250W anemometer, Extech RH250W psychrometer
FLIR demonstrated the Extech ExView mobile app paired with its thermal cameras and HVAC meters for capturing and sharing inspection data.
22. Refra: Air-Cooled CO2 Transcritical Booster and R290 High-Temperature Heat Pumps
Key products: air-cooled CO2 transcritical booster, R290 high-temperature heat pumps
Refra presented a new air-cooled CO2 transcritical booster with an integrated gas cooler and capacities from 55 kW to 1 MW, alongside new propane heat pumps delivering water temperatures up to 80°C with heating and cooling capacities from 30 kW to 1 MW.
