More than 80 leading regional and international firms are taking part in the third edition of HVACR Expo Saudi, the largest dedicated indoor climate and refrigeration event, which opened in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, yesterday (January 14).

The expo was inaugurated by Dr Sufyan Al-Irhayim, the director of Conformity Assessment Department and acting director of Standards and Metrology Department, GCC Standardization Organization along with Lucie Berger, the head of trade and economic affairs, Delegation of the European Union, and Giorgio Elia, the vice-presidnet of UTC Climate, Controls & Security.

The event also witnessed the first ever EU-Saudi Arabia Energy Efficiency Meeting, organised in partnership with Eurovent ME, to mainly discuss collaboration opportunities between Saudi Arabia and the European Union on HVAC standards, certification and labeling.

The event, which is co-located with FM Expo Saudi & Saudi Clean Expo, concludes on January 16.

“Energy efficiency and sustainability is a growing concern all over the world for apparent reasons. In a region like the Middle East, with its extreme temperatures, it is even more important to have adequate standards and regulations in place to keep energy consumption at a reasonable level,” remarked Markus Lattner, the director of Eurovent Middle East.

The meeting played a fundamental role in helping preserve the kingdom’s wealth of energy resources and strengthen the national economy complementing the Saudi National energy efficiency program.

The meeting comes under the initiative of the EU GCC Clean Energy Technology Network and the European Union Delegation to Saudi Arabia.

Over 100 VIP delegates attended the meeting, which was made up of keynote speeches as well as what resulted in an engaging panel discussion, to gain insight from high profile speakers including the Ambassador of the European Union of Saudi Arabia Michele Cervone D’Urso, Manager of International Standards at ISSO Jaap Hogeling, and Frank Wouters, Director of the EUGCC Clean Energy Technology Network.

Beyond the high level meeting, the educational offering at HVACR Expo Saudi features a total of 18 free-to-attend CPD (continued professional development) certified workshops to promote best practices and innovative solutions for the Saudi HVAC-R industry. A range of topics on the agenda cover the latest solutions for Energy Optimisation, better IEQ (indoor environment quality) and green technology HVAC Systems.

The HVACR market in Saudi Arabia is expected to double at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of around 13 per cent from 2017-2022 on the back of developing energy tariffs, increased public awareness and an increased sense of responsibility.

More than 80 local and international manufacturers are showcasing the most innovative HVAC-R solutions and equipment at the top Saudi expo.-TradeArabia News Service