Francisco José Perucho (AFEC): The HVACR sector plays a key role in efficiency, air quality, comfort and safety
On the occasion of World Refrigeration Day 2026, Francisco José Perucho, Chairman of the Spanish Association of Air Conditioning Equipment Manufacturers (AFEC), highlighted the need to move towards decarbonisation. Perucho emphasised how the HVACR sector plays a key role in energy efficiency, indoor air quality, comfort, safety and business continuity, although it remains a technology that is largely overlooked by the general public.
On 26 June, the HVACR sector celebrated World Refrigeration Day in Madrid with an event that brought together professionals, manufacturers, installers, engineering firms, associations and institutional representatives under the slogan “Air conditioning and refrigeration: essential yet invisible technologies”. The event, organised by AEFYT, AFAR and AFEC, took place at the CEOE headquarters.
The opening address was given by Susana Rodríguez, president of AEFYT, who, speaking on behalf of AFEC and AFAR Frío y Clima, highlighted the critical importance of refrigeration as a technology essential to everyday life and the need to raise its profile in order to attract talent. Along similar lines, Pedro Antonio Prieto, Director of Energy Saving and Efficiency at the IDAE, highlighted the direct link to energy and competitiveness, as well as the role of refrigeration in the energy efficiency initiatives promoted by the IDAE, such as INNOVAE, a new programme for unique, innovative energy-saving and energy-efficiency projects, recognising the potential of far-reaching energy refurbishment in the tertiary sector and the replacement of large-scale cooling systems, linking innovation, efficiency and real-world performance in facilities.
Essential technologies
The speakers who took part in the conference highlighted the vital importance of these technologies in society. Among them, José Miguel Guerrero, Chairman of the Spanish Confederation of Metal Industry Organisations (CONFEMETAL), highlighted their low profile despite their direct impact on everyday life. For his part, meanwhile, Ismael Albarrán, speaking on behalf of ADICI, highlighted its importance in processes such as hospital pharmacy, cryopreservation and medical gases, where climate control is a vital technology. Meanwhile, José Antonio Martínez Sánchez, an engineer in the R&D department at CETEMET, highlighted the importance of innovation in refrigerated transport, predictive maintenance, machine learning algorithms and digital twins in reducing energy and food losses.
During the session, a participatory exercise was also held with the audience, addressing issues such as the visibility of digitalisation and energy management outside the sector, the areas where air conditioning can add the most value through data and real-life examples, and the priority actions needed to raise the sector’s profile among the public and government bodies.
The day’s proceedings were brought to a close by Francisco José Perucho, Chairman of AFEC, who underlined the need to move towards decarbonisation and to strengthen communication within the sector. He emphasised that HVACR is key to energy efficiency, indoor air quality, comfort, safety and business continuity, although it remains a technology that is largely overlooked by the general public.
World Refrigeration Day celebrations in Madrid reaffirmed the commitment of AEFYT, AFAR and AFEC to innovation, sustainability and raising the profile of a sector that is essential to the economy and everyday life.