Natural refrigerants will once again be in the spotlight when ARBS 2026 kicks off next week in Melbourne, Australia.
The country’s biggest HVAC&R event is held every two years, with the 2026 exhibition taking place in Melbourne from May 5–7. ARBS 2024 was held in Sydney and attracted more than 9,000 guests. Natural refrigerant-based heating and cooling technologies dotted the show floor and included propane (R290) heat pumps and chillers, transcritical CO2 (R744) refrigeration systems and heat pumps, and ammonia (R717) heat pumps.
More than 350 companies will exhibit at ARBS 2026, and natural refrigerants will once again be a focus of the exhibition. Copeland, Evapco, Beijer Ref and GEA are just a few of the leading manufacturers that will exhibit in Melbourne. Natural refrigerants will also be part of the more than 50 technical sessions, panels and case studies presented.
Natural refrigerants on stage
Jan Dusek, COO and Co-Founder of ATMOsphere, the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, will present insights from ATMO’s 2025 report “Refrigeration: Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration with Natural Refrigerants.” The report features data on the number of food retail stores and industrial sites using natural refrigerant-based refrigeration systems, including in Australia.
Dusek will also be part of a panel discussion on the impact of global forces – including refrigerant regulations, decarbonization policies and evolving standards – on Australia’s HVAC&R market. CO2 and hydrocarbons, along with synthetic refrigerants, will be on the agenda during a panel on the future of 1–60kW (0.28–17TR) refrigeration systems in Australia and New Zealand.
The high-level discussions will be completed by case studies on specific projects. Hussmann Australia will share real-world performance data from CO2 condensing units installed in small-format food retail stores in Sydney. Stefan Jensen, Managing Director at industrial refrigeration contractor Scantec, will present two Australian cold storage facilities that slashed their energy use by up to 63% after replacing their ammonia liquid overfeed systems with dual-stage dry expansion plants.
Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) will also speak at ARBS 2026. The Director of the DCCEEW’s Circular Economy Division, Chemicals Atmosphere and International Branch will provide an update on the country’s refrigerant regulations and HFC phase down plan.
And the award goes to
Natural refrigerant-based products were nominated for ARBS 2026 Awards in two categories. Daikin’s CO2 hot water heat pump was nominated in the HVAC Product Excellence category. Copeland’s CO2 scroll refrigeration units and Panasonic’s transcritical CO2 condensing unit were both nominated for the Refrigeration Product Excellence award. The winners will be announced during the exhibition.
“The response to this year’s program has set a new benchmark for the Awards,” said Amanda Searle, CEO of ARBS Exhibitions, in a press release. “We received almost 100 nominations, the biggest submission round in the history of the ARBS Awards.”
NaturalRefrigerants.com is an official media partner of ARBS 2026.
