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November 2025 ccme.news/digitalNovember 2025 EMPOWER, YOKOGAWA REINFORCE COLLABORATION TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN DISTRICT COOLING EUROVENT MIDDLE EAST ISSUES GUIDANCE ON REFRIGERANT TRANSITION Is perceived complexity of performance-based contracts acting as a barrier for the wider adoption of Cooling as a Service? CaaSting doubts EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN REFRIGERANTS REVIEW • ‘Future-proof in the region is not a slogan’ Naveen Sivakumar of Danfoss • Refrigerant transition: Navigating change David Fichant, Dominic Dueing and Jean-Marc Christmann of Chemours EMEA EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN IEQ & FERTILITY • Spotlight on ovarian reserve parameters Katarzyna Wieczorek, Dorota Szczęsna, Michał Radwan, Paweł Radwan, Kinga Polańska, Anna Kilanowicz, Joanna Jurewicz • ‘In sperm, oxidative damage leads to DNA fragmentation’ Sotirios Papathanasiou, air quality specialist • The silica particle attack on fertility Dr Nahed Hammadieh, IVF specialist; Dr Iyad Al-Attar, air filtration consultant US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ US$ PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ ccme.news/digitalPRESENTS 05 MARCH 2026 | MUMBAI INDIA EDITION ST www.climatecontrolawards.com/indiaVOL. 20 NO. 11 NOVEMBER 2025 34 26 06 14 20 24 35 37 www.ccme.news 3 EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN: REFRIGERANTS REVIEW PERSPECTIVES ‘Future-proof in the region is not a slogan’ It’s a set of choices that keeps systems safe, efficient and serviceable, says Naveen Sivakumar of Danfoss Refrigerant transition: Navigating change David Fichant, Dominic Dueing and Jean-Marc Christmann of Chemours EMEA on accelerating the shift to low-GWP refrigerants and A2Ls in RACs in the GCC region REGULARS Regional News Global News eDItor'S note Boston shows the way EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN: IEQ & FERTILITY REPORT Spotlight on ovarian reserve parameters Common pollutants may harm women’s fertility, shrink ovarian reserves, say Katarzyna Wieczorek, Dorota Szczęsna, Michał Radwan, Paweł Radwan, Kinga Polańska, Anna Kilanowicz and Joanna Jurewicz Q&A ‘In sperm, oxidative damage leads to DNA fragmentation’ Air quality specialist, Sotirios Papathanasiou elaborates on how poor IAQ can increase incidences of infertility, prenatal mortality and birth defects REPORT The silica particle attack on fertility Emerging toxicological studies have established a concerning link between exposure to SiNPs and adverse effects on the reproductive system in males and females, say Dr Nahed Hammadieh, IVF specialist, and Dr Iyad Al-Attar, air filtration consultant COVER STORY The hidden treasures behind CaaS Cooling as a Service holds innumerable advantages, but have barriers such as perceived complexity of performance-based contracts and uncertainty over long-term savings slowed its wider adoption? 08 PERSPECTIVE UAE Federal Law 11 on Climate Change: Clock ticking for full compliance POST-EVENT REPORTS Aligning health and energy efficiency in Saudi Arabia The 11 th Edition of The Climate Control Conference fosters discussion on how the HVACR industry can support national goals Future-proofing the cold chain Sustainability, standardisation and smart technology take centre stage at 2 nd World Cold Chain Expo 04 40 48November 2025 4 Jeremy McDonald Principal of Guth DeConzo Consulting Engineers, in New York, writes on IAQ and building tracing. He served as the technical consultant to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in development of an IAQ guideline for Higher Education in NY: “Covid-19 Response Guide, State University of New York”. Dan Mizesko Managing Partner/President, US Chiller Services International, writes on issues relating to chilled water systems, including operation & maintenance. Nabil Shahin Managing Director, AHRI MENA, writes on HVACR- specific regulation issues. Dr Iyad Al-Attar Independent air filtration consultant, writes on specific science and technology issues relating to Indoor Air Quality, including airborne particles. Omnia Halawani Co-Founder & Co-CEO, GRFN Global, writes on MEP consultancy- related issues. Krishnan Unni Madathil Auditor, Bin Khadim, Radha & Co. Chartered Accountants, carrying out an analysis of the market, writes on business opportunities for the HVACR industry. Editor Surendar Balakrishnan surendar@cpi-industry.com Associate Editor Karu Suren karu.suren@cpi-industry.com Online & Social Media Editor Nivedita Vijayan marketing@cpi-industry.com Editorial Assistant Arushi Menon features@cpi-industry.com Advertising Enquiries Frédéric Paillé +971 50 7147204 fred@cpi-industry.com Judy Wang Our representative in Asia (except India) +852 307 80 826 judywang2000@vip.126.com Deep Karani Our representative in North America +1 365 885-6849 deep.karani@cpimediagroup.com Design Head Ulysses Galgo uly@cpi-industry.com Webmaster Chris Lopez chris@cpi-industry.com Database/Subscriptions Manager Purwanti Srirejeki purwanti@cpi-industry.com Published by Founder, CPI Media Group Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) Co-Founder & Commercial Director Frédéric Paillé fred@cpi-industry.com EMPANELLED COLUMNISTSCo-Founder & Editorial Director Surendar Balakrishnan surendar@cpi-industry.com Head Office PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE Web: www.cpi-industry.com Printed by: Jaguar Printing Press L.L.C © Copyright 2025 CPI Industry. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein. Visit our website: climatecontrolme.com/digital Also available at Get the next issue of Climate Control Middle Eastearly! Surendar Balakrishnan Editor @BSurendar_HVACR Z ERO-DEBT private capital, as an approach, has been applied in a bid to improve energy efficiency in buildings, where owners are struggling, or are reluctant, to raise capital, knowing they would be bound by a payback regime. Indeed, zero- debt private capital is viewed as an answer where the spectre of high upfront costs and the prospect of landing into direct debt dissuades owners from adopting measures to improve building performance. Typical approaches are the ESCO model, infrastructure financing, private equity funds, green bonds and Cooling as a Service (CaaS), which we have revisited in this issue specifically to highlight the barriers in the way of greater uptake, such as limited awareness and perceived complexity. With time and track record, CaaS might eventually establish itself as the way forward in not only lowering power consumption but, in fact, also improving equipment lifespan in a financially feasible and sustainable manner. Now, the question is, can zero-debt private capital be applied to strengthen the bid for healthy buildings, as well? Can private equity or green bonds contribute to improving Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)? Are there alternative funding mechanisms that can help achieve healthier built environments? The Boston Public Schools system, in the United States, worked to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in even its legacy classrooms. The initiative has already seen the system exceed even the relatively new ASHRAE Standard 241 (Control of Infectious Aerosols) in those classrooms. Peter Cantone, who heads Smart Air Defense, in the United States, and who serves as a key member of the Editorial Board of our Editorial Campaign, ‘IEQ & Fertility’, has been instrumental in helping the schools system achieve improved IAQ. In Peter’s words, most schools don’t take the next step forward towards better IAQ, because they don’t have the required funding. Schools can be encouraged to consider IAQ retrofits through alternative funding mechanisms, though, he says. There is much food for thought, there. Unlocking capital for better IEQNovember 2025 6 PERSPECTIVE Law, which sees transformation from voluntary action to binding obligation, is a landmark step in the country’s sustainability journey, says Dr Samiullah Khan of Fakhruddin Properties Dr Samiullah Khan: Law No. 11 promotes alignment with international climate frameworks T HE UAE Federal Decree Law No. 11 of 2024 on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, issued in August 2024, is a landmark step in the country’s sustainability journey. Unlike past voluntary strategies, this law is binding and enforceable. It came into effect on 28 May 2025, with full compliance required by May 2026. Penalties for non-compliance range from AED 50,000 to AED 2 million. For the real estate sector, a major contributor to emissions, this marks a turning point, as global climate commitments are embedded into enforceable domestic law. The law directly links to global climate obligations: ■ Paris Agreement (2015): UAE actions must align with its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ■ UAE NDC (2023): 40% emissions reduction target by 2030 ■ Net Zero by 2050 Initiative: Now legally reinforced ■ COP28 Legacy: UAE strengthens its role as a hub for climate compliance and carbon markets For the real estate sector, this means binding requirements for emissions reduction, adaptation planning and verified reporting. CORE COMPLIANCE MECHANISMS Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) – Article 6 ■ Companies must prepare auditable emissions inventorieswww.ccme.news 7 RISK LANDSCAPE UNDER THE LAW ■ MRV Risk: Inaccurate or unverifiable data is punishable ■ Attribute Risk: Failure to retire credits equals non-compliance ■ Change-in-Law Risk: Offset eligibility can be revised at any time Real estate must adopt robust contracts and align sustainability with legal and finance teams. MARKET IMPLICATIONS FOR REAL ESTATE ■ Clean Energy Demand: Legally required procurement creates stable demand. ■ Premium for Compliance: Verified low-carbon projects gain higher valuations ■ Finance & Insurance Integration: Banks and insurers will favour climate-ready assets ■ Asset Differentiation: Compliant properties will gain value, while non- compliant ones risk “brown discounts” CONCLUSION: REAL ESTATE AS A NET-ZERO ENABLER Federal Law No. 11 makes climate compliance a license to operate. For the real estate sector, the next 18 months are crucial: ■ May 2025: Enforcement begins ■ May 2026: Penalties apply The sector now plays a dual role, as both a compliance subject and a driver of net zero. Properties that are low-carbon, resilient and registry- verified will attract green finance and international investors. At Fakhruddin Properties, we see this as a paradigm shift: The future of real estate is no longer about square metres, but about carbon meters and resilience scores. ■ Records must be registry-verifiable and stored for five years ■ Real estate must track whole- building emissions, including Scope 1 and Scope 2 ■ Digital systems with sensors and AI tools will be needed Mitigation Obligations – Article 4 ■ Clean energy procurement ■ Efficiency upgrades and retrofits ■ Waste management and recycling ■ Carbon offsets retired in the national registry This shifts compliance from formality to active decarbonisation. Adaptation and Resilience – Article 7 ■ Projects must address risks like flooding and heat stress ■ Insurers will model climate losses, affecting property values ■ Climate risks must be factored into valuations and financing Incentives and Market Instruments – Article 10 ■ National Carbon Credit Registry: All offsets and certificates must be retired here ■ Carbon Pricing: Firms must factor costs of CO 2 into project economics ■ Carbon Trading: Creates new financial opportunities for early movers Virtual PPAs: From Voluntary to Mandatory ■ Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs), once voluntary CSR tools, are now compliance instruments ■ Recognised as a pathway for clean energy procurement ■ Certificates must be retired in the national registry ■ Contracts must clearly define responsibility for certificate retirement CFOs must treat carbon exposure like financial debt in reporting and financing. CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here. The writer is Chief Sustainability Officer, Fakhruddin Properties. He may be contacted at <k.sam@fakhruddin.ae>.November 2025 8 COVER STORY Cooling as a Service holds innumerable advantages, but barriers such as limited awareness, perceived complexity of performance-based contracts, financing constraints and uncertainty over long-term savings have slowed its wider adoption, says Dr Angela Fandino of Engineering Sustainable Futures (ESF) cooling is a major driver of electricity demand. In addition, this model can help achieve different government commitments, such as the UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050, the Abu Dhabi Energy CaaS THE HIDDEN CaaS BEHIND TREASURES C OOLING as a Service (CaaS) is a pay-per-use model, where a provider designs, finances, installs, operates and maintains cooling systems, such as chillers, pumps and air-handling units, among others, while the building owner, end-user or customer does not make the large upfront capital investment (CapEx) in the cooling equipment; instead they pay the provider a regular fee – often consumption-based or fixed plus variable – for the “cooling service”, which could be in the form of chilled water or conditioned space delivered. The CaaS model provides endless benefits, as it has the potential to deliver highly efficient projects, reducing operating costs, lowering the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and providing better Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for consumers. We can consider CaaS as an ideal solution in the UAE, where & Water Efficiency Strategy 2030 and Dubai’s DSM Strategy. The purpose of this paper is to comprehend the hidden treasures behind CaaS, by tackling some challenges in adopting this model and identifying opportunities to use this service in the most efficient way, to create value and move forward towards a more sustainable future. Background Space cooling is the fastest growing end-use in buildings. Demand has more than doubled since 2000 and keeps accelerating as temperatures rise and incomes grow. It is known that AC fans use ~20% of all electricity in buildings, worldwide, straining grids during hot hours. Global AC units are projected to flow towards ~5.6 billion by 2050, adding >1,200 TWh of extra electricity demand by 2035 under current policies. Dr Angela FandinoNext >