The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) hosted an Expert Group Meeting on "Designing Mechanisms to Facilitate the Removal of Barriers to Chiller Replacements" from 2-4 July 2007, at UNIDO Headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Organized by the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Branch, the meeting was held within the framework of UNIDO's programme of regional chiller demonstration projects being undertaken in Africa, Eastern Europe and West Asia. This programme promotes energy efficient replacements for chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) based chillers through the stimulation of market conditions favourable to replacements.

The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) brought together 46 experts from 16 countries to discuss ways to overcome barriers to replacing CFC-based chillers, many of which commonly hinder other energy efficiency projects, with a view to identifying elements for incorporation into replacement strategies. Participants at the EGM focused on three themes: innovative chiller technologies; financial mechanisms for energy efficiency projects that could be employed in the chiller sub-sector; and regulatory support for promoting energy efficient chiller replacements. These themes were addressed through expert panel presentations and related discussions and also through deliberations in three working groups. Additionally, the meeting included a site visit to Austria? s largest cooling plant, housed at Vienna General Hospital.

The EGM produced a set of recommendations for addressing technical, financial and regulatory barriers. These recommendations will provide the basis for specific deliverables to be used by UNIDO in assisting with the preparation of national strategies for replacing CFC-based chillers, and will also be used in the preparation of a UNIDO Tool Kit on "Chiller Replacements between the Montreal and the Kyoto Protocol: Modalities for Implementation and Avenues of Financing." Additionally, the recommendations, together with the presentations and discussions held throughout the EGM, will be incorporated into a meeting report to be prepared by UNIDO. More information.