Work starts on new BDR Thermea commercial heat pump laboratory in Spain
The building has officially begun on a new BDR Thermea R&D laboratory in Spain that is set to accelerate innovation in commercial heat pumps.
Our CEO Bertrand Schmitt and the other members of our Management Board joined Jose Antonio Pérez, Director of our heat pumps unit, and Jordi Mestres, Managing Director of BDR Thermea Group in Spain and Portugal, to lay the first stone of the commercial heat pump lab in Vilafranca del Penedés, near Barcelona.
Our commitment to heat pump innovation is now even more ‘set in stone. As a company, we are constantly asking ourselves the question of how we can best support our customers to make the energy transition a reality. We believe heat pumps are a big part of the answer. It’s exciting to expand our R&D capacity and develop more solutions around commercial heat pump offer.
CEO BDR Thermea Group
The construction of the Vilafranca R&D centre is testament to our commitment to developing heat pump technology and allows us to keep innovating in this field. Heat pumps are an important part of our vision of a sustainable future, with the new laboratory providing fresh opportunities to bring the energy transition closer.
The Spanish lab for commercial heat pumps takes inspiration from our residential heat pumps business unit in Mertzwiller, France, which will collaborate closely with Vilafranca. The lab will allow for a variety of testing conditions, including a wide temperature range – from -20°C to +55°C –, the option for dry air or 100% humidity, and up to four climate rooms. Testing will be available from November 2022, with work on the lab expected to be completed next year.
Commercial and residential buildings with centralized heating and cooling systems are key in the energy transition, and they can benefit enormously from the switch to heat pumps. Our new R&D laboratory in Spain will make it easier for our customers who operate in commercial settings to make this switch.
Heat Pumps Business Development Unit Director