Daikin Will Launch CO2 VRF for the European Market in April 2025

Brussels, 28th November 2024 – Daikin, the global leader in heat pump and VRV technology, announces its new VRV range with R-744 refrigerant (CO₂) for the European market. Daikin has always been at the forefront of developing solutions to lower the carbon footprint of its systems, anticipating and supporting legislation. After sharing its vision for implementing the EU HFC phase-down, Daikin now shares more details on its strategic vision for the Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) market.

Diverse refrigerants to support the transition

to a net zero-carbon future

"Decarbonising the building sector requires flexible refrigerant options due to varying application challenges. There is no one-size-fits-all solution." says Bernard Dehertogh, Deputy General Manager DX at Daikin Europe N.V. “Daikin's strategy is to select the best refrigerant for each application, balancing four key factors: safety, energy efficiency, environmental impact, and cost over the entire life cycle of a product. Daikin's introduction of the first CO₂ VRV unit, in addition to our VRV R32 range, reaffirms our commitment to the decarbonisation of commercial buildings.”

CO₂ VRV, the low GWP solution

Using R-744 (CO₂) comes with different key benefits. CO₂, is a so-called natural refrigerant,classified as non-flammable (A1) according to ISO817, and with a GWP value of 1, it has a very low Global Warming Potential. 

CO₂ VRV inherits all the typical VRV benefits: it is quick and easy to design and install and contains precise climate zone control options with quick response time. Bringing the Eurovent certified CO₂ VRV along with the flagship Round Flow cassette to market, signifies a major milestone in the transition towards the future VRV/VRF market in Europe.

“Adding CO₂ to Daikin’s broad portfolio of VRV solutions, this innovation diversifies the choices on the market and lays the foundation for further developments”, says George Dimou, VRV product manager at Daikin Europe N.V. “It is tailored for targeted decarbonisation initiatives such as supermarkets and retail establishments, focusing on heating and cooling systems that necessitate the use of natural refrigerants”. The units will be available from April 2025.

VRV – proven low carbon technology

Until today, VRV technology has contributed to saving significant amounts of CO₂ emissions compared to any other fossil fuel heating solution. With both refrigerant options, R-32 and CO₂, Daikin will be able to cover a maximum number of applications to decarbonise buildings, depending on the priority of the selection criteria related to efficiency, footprint, carbon emissions over the entire life cycle, cost, and GWP.

George Dimou comments: "We are committed to developing VRV systems that offer the flexibility of choice for any type of commercial building, keeping a clear focus on energy efficiency, GWP, legislation and building trends. This CO₂ VRV innovation is a next step towards offering solutions with a lower climate impact over  their entire lifetime. Starting today, we will educate and train our network to support the adoption of this new technology as part of our full range of solutions. We aim to enable stakeholders to gain knowledge and develop expertise in future-proof solutions.”.

For more information about the revised F-gas regulation and Daikin’s refrigerant outlook visit https://www.daikin.eu/en_us/press-releases/an-outlook-from-daikin-on-refrigerant-alternatives-in-europe.html