News: FireChill in liquidation

FireChill, an innovative green cooling and heating company that could have created hundreds of manufacturing jobs in Rotherham, has gone into liquidation.

FireChill began in 2009 when Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward sought a UK-based marketing and distribution capability to set up a "go to market" vehicle for an innovative product developed by Cooltec in the US.


The proven, patented, heat-activated cooling technology reduces operating costs by up to 20% in traditional air conditioning applications and by up to 80% when integrated into a combined heat and power (CHP) system. The unit's low cost, low carbon technology provides a competitive advantage, particularly in areas which are hot, crowded, have plenty of gas and/or where the electricity supply is unreliable or expensive.

Phase 37, a private venturing and business support services company launched by Simon Clothier in Leeds, secured the global rights to Cooltec's existing and future intellectual property (IP), together with global manufacturing licences, and established FireChill.

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After £1m was secured from a group of private investors in 2010, a joint venture called FireChill Manufacturing was created with Rotherham-based specialist engineering firm Newburgh Engineering and was responsible for the production of units. With the units set to be manufacturing at Templeborough, the investment was set to create 100 new jobs directly and many more in the supply chain.

Large contracts were secured but Clothier said in 2012 that it was "immensely challenging to secure the appropriate funding" in the UK.

Clough Corporate Solutions LLP were called in as joint liquidators in October 2014 and it was agreed that the company be wound up voluntarily.

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News: Firechill awarded £9.5m Australian supply contract

FireChill, the global green cooling company, has secured its first commercial sales leading to a five-year exclusive global supply contract worth $15M AUD (£9.5m) with Australian water-making company Water from the Air Pty Limited (WfA).


In a pilot scheme two ALT500 chillers will be installed in an Australian Government Education Institution in the Riverina district of New South Wales.

The heat-activated cooling technology significantly decreases the energy required to deliver cooling and refrigeration.

The technology reduces operating costs by up to 20% in traditional air conditioning applications and by up to 80% when integrated into a combined heat and power (CHP) system.

As well as cooling, the chillers enable water extraction from the air by use of large scale condensers which can produce up to half a million litres of water annually. The installation will also provide reverse cycle air conditioning and electricity, powered by a natural gas Capstone C65 Microturbine.

The unique technology is projected to roll-out rapidly within Australia, generating annual revenues for FireChill of at least $3M AUD (£1.9m) within three years.

Wallie Ivison, WfA CEO, said: "This is just the tip of the ice-berg. It is fully our intention to take this as far as we can to a global audience. We rate FireChill product and the people behind it highly and are delighted they will be with us on our journey."

Simon Clothier, CEO at FireChill, said: "Two milestones in one – first orders and a valuable supply contract which adds further to FireChill's credibility."

The units are set to be manufacturing in Templeborough in Rotherham after a joint venture (JV) between Rotherham-based Newburgh Engineering and Leeds-based Firechill was created in 2010. But Clothier hinted that the company may need to move abroad. He said: "In spite of the trend of good news over the last six months, it still remains immensely challenging to secure the appropriate funding in our country of choice.

"Our preference is for the UK, and the door is still very much open, but it is looking increasingly likely that foreign investors may step in where the UK investment community and government have under-performed. If that means a relocation of the core business outside the UK, then that is what we will do to fulfil the undoubted potential of this brilliant technology. Our commitment is to the technology."

In 2010, FireChill secured just under £1m from a group of private investors to add to the £4m invested to date in research and development. With the shelp of Newburgh Engineering, futher funding was secured in 2011 to support the continued expansion of its base technology and provide a bridge to future commercialisation.

FireChill anticipates making further announcements before the end of the Summer.

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News: Firechill progresses free cooling technology

FireChill, the green cooling and heating company, is closer to taking their unique technology to market after successfully connecting one of its high-efficiency, gas-fired absorption chillers to a microturbine to deliver free cooling.


FireChill is working with Capstone to produce ammonia absorption chilling packages, powered by Capstone C65 Microturbines for combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) applications. The patented, heat-activated cooling technology recovers the energy from the exhaust heat of the low-emission microturbine and effectively delivers free cooling.

The green benefits are magnified many times by recycling the exhaust heat and by extracting the heat from the exhaust, there is less heat expelled into the atmosphere, reducing the effect of global warming.

The systems are well suited to construction sites, off-grid environments, data centres and a number of portable and temporary uses which opens the doors to new markets for both FireChill and Capstone distributors.

The units are to be manufacturing in Templeborough in Rotherham, creating 100 new jobs directly and many more in the supply chain. A joint venture (JV) between Rotherham-based Newburgh Engineering and Leeds-based Firechill was created in 2010.

Simon Clothier, CEO at FireChill, said: "This is a promising development for us and marks another milestone en route to launching our CCHP PowerChill product to a global market. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Capstone and look forward to being able to offer the ultra low cost cooling solution for sale through their worldwide network. Capstone's specialist distributors have been asking for this product for some time and will in due course develop numerous, free cooling applications.

"We are also pleased to have stolen a march on our competitors whom we know for a fact have been attempting to pair small-scale gas-fired chillers with microturbines for the past decade with limited success. The unique, dual-firing capability of FireChill's unit makes it even more competitive as the chiller can now operate 24/7 with or without exhaust heat."

FireChill's units have also been successfully fitted to an IVECO diesel generating set and when used in conjunction with a condenser, the technology can even produce water extracted from high humidity air, or recovered from cooling tower vapour and stored for later use.

In 2010 FireChill secured just under £1m from a group of private investors to add to the £4m invested to date in research and development. Further funding was secured last year.

The PowerChill family of products, which includes new heat capture technology, will be available for commercial sales later this year.

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News: Firechill secures further funding

FireChill, the green cooling and heating company, has secured a further round of development funding with the help of its UK manufacturing partner, Newburgh Engineering.

The money will support the continued expansion of its base technology and provide a bridge to future commercialisation.

FireChill's proven, patented, heat-activated cooling technology technology reduces operating costs by up to 20% in traditional air conditioning applications and by up to 80% when integrated into a combined heat and power (CHP) system.

The unit's low cost, low carbon technology provides a competitive advantage, particularly in areas which are hot, crowded, have plenty of gas and/or where the electricity supply is unreliable or expensive.

With the units to be manufacturing at Newburgh Engineering in Templeborough, the investment is set to create 100 new jobs directly and many more in the supply chain.

FireChill Manufacturing is a joint venture with Rotherham-based specialist engineering firm Newburgh and is responsible for the production of units.

Simon Clothier, CEO of FireChill, said: "This money is a welcome boost for FireChill and gives the team the opportunity to take its ground-breaking cooling and heating technology to the next stage. We will use the money to build further test units and place them across the globe in challenging operating environments. This process has already commenced and early indications from Test Partner ecOenergy of the Dominican Republic are extremely promising.

"In house testing of the products under development point to a step change in performance and it is exciting that we are now able to develop them further. Having secured this interim step, our next mission is to secure a significant level of funding to expand the integrated family of FireChill products and bring them to market via a global manufacturing and distributor network.

"We have received a promising initial response and, based on conversations thus far, there is serious interest amongst a number of international organisations. The key to unlocking the opportunity is a vision for the future, a properly funded Technology Roadmap, fully-tested product and a receptive market."

Vince Middleton, managing director of Newburgh Engineering added: "We are strong advocates of the FireChill technology and believe it has a bright future which is why we have chosen to continue to invest our time, money and resource.

"We are very happy with the development progress of the product, have a well-defined programme of work and are looking forward to shipping further test units into the field. We are confident Simon and the team will be able to secure the next funding round and very much look forward to what that means for FireChill."

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News: FireChill launch heating products

FireChill, the global green cooling company announced today the launch of a range of energy-efficient, gas-fired heat pumps which draw free heat from either the air or the ground.

Approved for outdoor installation, they are self contained and can be powered by propane, natural gas, LPG or light oil.

FireChill's existing and proven absorption technology platform combined with a range of specially developed components, each designed to maximise the efficiency of the heat pump, leads to a highly competitive product that outperforms the market on both efficiency and price.

The systems have a fuel use efficiency of over 150% comparable to coal fire with an efficiency of 2%, followed by gas fire with an efficiency of 50%, then gas central heating with an efficiency of 60%, and the condensing boiler with an efficiency of 90%.

Simon Clothier, FireChill's CEO said: "We are tremendously excited about these new planet-friendly, clean tech products; FireChill is now in the fortunate position of being able to provide its customers with choice – green heating as well as green cooling.

"Our technology team has given us a world beating product and our UK manufacturing team can now deliver at competitive prices for today's cost conscious marketplace.

"The new heat pumps contain 80% of the components currently used in the chillers which means we can pass on the majority of those volume savings to both our heating and cooling customers. We are also delighted to be entering the UK market for the first time with a home-grown, British product."

FireChill Manufacturing in Rotherham has recently been awarded with the ISO 9001 accreditation. Vince Middleton, Managing Director of FireChill Manufacturing, said: "We are delighted to achieve this accreditation which underlines our continued commitment to sustaining an agile, process-based and quality-focused manufacturing facility.

"Quality culture in manufacturing is the only way to secure a long product life, which is something that every customer wants. This certification reinforces our pledge to customers to continually monitor and improve our products and produce them to the highest possible standard."

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News: FireChill signs agreement with Capstone

FireChill, the global green cooling technology company with a manufacturing base in Rotherham, has signed an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with the world's leading producer of low-emission microturbine systems, Capstone.

Both parties will work to produce ammonia absorption chilling packages, powered by microturbines for combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) applications.

The PowerChill system will use energy-efficient Capstone microturbines manufactured in California, and FireChill's proven, patented, heat-activated cooling technology will recover the energy from the exhaust heat of the microturbine and effectively deliver free cooling.

The green benefits are magnified many times by recycling the exhaust heat and by extracting the heat from the exhaust, there is less heat expelled into the atmosphere, reducing the effect of global warming.

When used in conjunction with a condenser, Powerchill can even produce water extracted from high humidity air, or recovered from cooling tower vapour and stored for later use.

Manufactured in Rotherham by Firechill Manufacturing, a joint venture between Rotherham-based Newburgh Engineering and Leeds-based Firechill, PowerChill is a pre-engineered, factory assembled and tested product that can quickly and easily be installed onsite.

The systems are well suited to construction sites, off-grid environments, data centres and a number of portable and temporary uses which opens the doors to new markets for both FireChill and Capstone distributors.

Mark Gilbreth, Capstone's Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Technology Officer said: "Capstone is delighted to be working with FireChill on future technology rich projects.

"We have already demonstrated that our products provide clean and reliable energy sources and can build sustainable energy development. By working with FireChill to deliver broader applications, we will be able to demonstrate more uses for the microturbine and help reduce carbon emissions.

"This is just the kind of cooperative development we seek that can so easily lead to breakthrough technology. The projects already underway with FireChill have the potential to open up large markets, including the previously untapped rental market."

Simon Clothier, CEO of FireChill, added: "Capstone is a company with a great set of products for us. They have a super-efficient turbine and we have a way of turning their waste heat into cooling without further energy input and at low or no cost. We can do this in a variety of ways and in a range of environments.

"This agreement with Capstone will allow us to explore what is really possible and we can now work smarter, faster and together to bring a more diverse set of usable, relevant green applications to market."

In June FireChill secured just under £1m from a group of private investors to add to the £4m invested to date in research and development. The new money was to fund accelerated infrastructure development, product field-testing and manufacturing mobilisation.

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News: Nabarro advises on Newburgh JV

The Sheffield office of national law firm Nabarro has played a key role in creating up to 100 manufacturing jobs in Rotherham.

The joint venture (JV) between Rotherham-based Newburgh Engineering and Leeds-based Firechill is set to create up to 100 new jobs in the manufacture of a new energy-efficient low carbon refrigeration system in Rotherham.

FireChill Manufacturing is the result of a Yorkshire Forward initiative to search for new opportunities to bring manufacturing into Yorkshire. FireChill Manufacturing will be responsible for the production of units, while FireChill Trading will focus on global distributor recruitment and marketing.

The Sheffield office of national law firm Nabarro advised the JV in securing the US-developed Cooltec heat-activated technology that Firechill Manufacturing will manufacture and market to worldwide.

Nabarro partner Andrea Cropley, who advised Newburgh said: "Firechill Manufacturing is set offer a new, commercial green product manufactured in our region for export to a worldwide market. This is an excellent example of private sector growth in our local economy following assistance from a public sector initiative.

"The creation of the new jobs will depend on the success of the product in the coming years, but early estimates of up to 100 new jobs is not over-optimistic."

Vincent Middleton at Newburgh Engineering added: "The assistance from Nabarro in forming the JV was critical, it is now up to all the Firechill team to now deliver a world beating green product that's "Made in Sheffield."

In June FireChill secured just under £1m from a group of private investors to add to the £4m invested to date in research and development. The new money was to fund accelerated infrastructure development, product field-testing and manufacturing mobilisation.

The proven, patented, heat-activated cooling technology technology reduces operating costs by up to 20% in traditional air conditioning applications and by up to 80% when integrated into a combined heat and power (CHP) system.

The unit's low cost, low carbon technology provides a competitive advantage, particularly in areas which are hot, crowded, have plenty of gas and/or where the electricity supply is unreliable or expensive.

A wide range of potential commercial applications includes; reducing supermarket energy costs through pre-cooling; removing supply chain food waste in India; high-volume production of water from air in South Africa and Australia and even cooling for one-day old chicks.

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News: The sky’s the limit for FireChill

FireChill, the innovative global green cooling technology company, has announced that it has formed a development partnership with ecOenergy Dominicana to bring a range of solar supplement chiller products to market under the SkyChill brand.

With the advent of new micro solar collector technology and SkyChill's ability to harness that thermal energy, solar-powered systems have become an accessible and affordable reality.

Simon Clothier, FireChill's CEO, said: "Originally, I had thought it would be two years before a solar solution became a reality for FireChill. This new approach, along with FireChill's technical development expertise, has changed the game and means we can now rapidly bring solar supplement solutions to life.

"We offer a truly genuine alternative, because we can deliver a dual-mode chiller system which enables round the clock chilling – when the sun goes down we seamlessly switch to gas-firing.

"We still have development and testing to carry out, but as of today we are confident we will have a market-ready product at the start of 2011."

Earlier this year FireChill secured funding for the next stage of its development which will enable it to commence production of energy-efficient chilling and refrigeration units.

And with the units to be manufacturing at Newburgh Engineering in Templeborough, the investment is set to create 100 new jobs directly and many more in the supply chain.

FireChill Manufacturing, a joint venture with Rotherham-based specialist engineering firm Newburgh Engineering, is responsible for the production of units, while FireChill Trading focuses on global distributor recruitment and marketing.

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News: FireChill investment set to create manufacturing jobs in Rotherham

Cooling technology company, FireChill, has secured funding for the next stage of its development which will enable it to commence production of energy-efficient chilling and refrigeration units and drive growth in a worldwide market.

And with the units to be manufacturing at Newburgh Engineering in Templeborough, the investment is set to create 100 new jobs directly and many more in the supply chain.

FireChill has secured just under £1m from a group of private investors to add to the £4m invested to date in research and development. The new money will fund accelerated infrastructure development, product field-testing and manufacturing mobilisation.

FireChill Manufacturing, a joint venture with Rotherham-based specialist engineering firm Newburgh Engineering, will be responsible for the production of units, while FireChill Trading will focus on global distributor recruitment and marketing.

Managing director of Newburgh, Vince Middleton, will join the executive team.

As a result of this deal, FireChill now holds the exclusive, worldwide manufacturing
and distribution rights for a proven, patented, heat-activated cooling technology which significantly decreases the energy required to deliver cooling and refrigeration.

The technology reduces operating costs by up to 20% in traditional air conditioning applications and by up to 80% when integrated into a combined heat and power (CHP) system.

The unit's low cost, low carbon technology provides a competitive advantage, particularly in areas which are hot, crowded, have plenty of gas and/or where the electricity supply is unreliable or expensive.

A wide range of potential commercial applications includes; reducing supermarket energy costs through pre-cooling; removing supply chain food waste in India; high-volume production of water from air in South Africa and Australia and even cooling for one-day old chicks.

Simon Clothier, FireChill's CEO, said: "This is an exciting next step for FireChill. We can now take this innovative technology to a global market whilst creating new jobs for the UK economy.

"Being a UK manufacturer and exporter of environmentally-friendly, green technology aligns us firmly with the new government's agenda for the economy's rehabilitation.

"We are also very grateful to our private investors who have backed the proposition, the team and a pre-revenue business in a challenging fund-raising climate. We are absolutely delighted we can now get on and build the business."

FireChill was advised by Stuart Hillston of Constellation Capital, Ian Gilbert and
Rebecca McCall of Walker Morris, Tim Parr of Baker Tilly and Dick Wolff of US firm Spengler Nathanson.

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News: Firechill brings jobs boost for Rotherham manufacturing sector

New pioneering energy-efficient air cooling units are set to be manufactured in a Rotherham in a move that the company behind them say could lead to the creation of 600 jobs.

FireChill is launching two new air cooling products that are more energy efficient and can provide significant cost savings of between 15% and 60% over traditional air-conditioning and cooling units.

Depending on environment, the carbon-cutting system can reduce emissions by up to 40 tonnes of CO2 per year - the equivalent of taking 14 family cars off the road.

A joint venture business between Leeds based investors, Phase 37 with Cooling Technologies Inc of Ohio has acquired the worldwide distribution rights for the proven, patented, heat-activated cooling technology which works using absorption cooling or thermally-activated cooling technology, with the chilling units fired by natural or propane gas or waste heat from a microturbine.

The company has a global license to manufacturer and market the products. Rotherham has been selected for a manufacturing facility and they are ready to begin manufacturing next year. Funding of up to £3.3m to facilitate its growth is being sought.

Simon Clothier, Chief Executive, Phase 37 Ltd, said: "Green technologies will drive the UK economy over the next decade and have the potential for explosive growth as the world look to new solutions for old problems. Our product sits right at the heart of this agenda due to its ability to keep buildings cooler as the world warms and make significant energy and carbon savings over traditional technology."

"With more than 40 demonstration units installed and operating, we have generated a substantial level of global interest especially in hot, crowded gas-rich areas of the world. We can't wait to start manufacturing and are confident that with further investment, we can maximise the global market potential these products offer."

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