As much of the UK grapples with sweltering temperatures, it might not be much comfort to know that the 26th June is officially World Refrigeration Day. However, it provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of cooling technology and the crucial role of refrigeration engineers in maintaining cooling and sustainable heating systems.

Supported by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), World Refrigeration Day (WRD) was founded in 2018 by Institute of Refrigeration (IoR) President-elect Stephen Gill, and is held every year on the birthday of the pioneering Scottish mathematician and engineer Lord Kelvin regarded as the father of modern refrigeration.

This year’s theme is: ‘Cool Intelligence’ and a series of worldwide events will highlight and celebrate the vital role played by cooling solutions in many of the world’s most important systems and services.

“In a world increasingly focused on artificial intelligence this year’s theme focuses on a different kind of intelligence – one that quietly keeps the world running,” says Gill, who recently joined BESA’s technical team. “Cooling and sustainable heating may not always be visible, but their impact is everywhere. From protecting food and safeguarding medicines to enabling healthcare, digital infrastructure, and comfortable living environments, these systems are essential to modern life.”

He said this year’s campaign would focus on how the industry supports society through its approach to designing, installing, operating, and maintaining cooling and sustainable heating systems.

“No matter how smart a system is, it still needs skilled people,” says Gill, who is a special advisor to the industry’s primary F-Gas Register REFCOM, which is managed by BESA. “While digital tools and AI are playing an increasing role in controls, monitoring, and optimisation, they are seen as enabling this intelligence – not replacing it – so we will continue to emphasise the importance of attracting human talent and the amazing career opportunities available in our industry.”

BESA believes that raising the profile of the profession through initiatives like WRD is also becoming more important because of the rapid increase in worldwide demand for refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps (RACHP).

“Cool Intelligence reflects the sector’s approach to delivering reliable long-term solutions that support social needs without increasing environmental impact,” says BESA technical director Kevin Morrissey. “Systems must be designed for efficiency over their full lifecycle and capable of adapting to changing conditions. That is the ultimate in ‘smart’ engineering.

“However, this has huge implications for investment in recruitment and training because human skills remain crucial to the delivery of sustainable solutions that underpin critical processes in healthcare, food transportation, and digital infrastructure.”

Every major AI advancement depends on data centres kept stable by sophisticated cooling systems, but as AI becomes more pervasive, it also increases the strain on these systems, from higher energy load to new operational and cybersecurity risks, making resilient, intelligent cooling systems more essential than ever.

The issue of overheating in buildings is another key focus for everyone involved with cooling solutions and the fact that this year’s WRD was coinciding with another intense heatwave across England and Wales brought this into sharp focus, explained Morrissey.

“The UK is experiencing more frequent and more lengthy periods of hot weather as the impact of climate change intensifies. The RACHP industry has a range of solutions that will become increasingly important as we seek to adapt our built environment to cope, but all require a UK-wide planned programme for retrofitting buildings.

“WRD comes at a key moment and gives us another opportunity to highlight this crucial issue to policy makers,” he sdds.

For more information visit the WRD website here.