Efficient Energy

Efficient Energy GmbH was a German company established in 2006 with a focus on developing sustainable refrigeration technology. The firm's core business revolved around manufacturing and supplying environmentally friendly chillers for industrial applications. It targeted clients in sectors requiring process cooling, machine cooling, and technical air conditioning, such as data centers, industrial manufacturing, and building climate control. Notable customers included Siemens, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), and British Telecom. The company's business model included direct sales of its chiller units and forming OEM partnerships to integrate its technology into other manufacturers' products.

The company's key offering was the eChiller series, which utilized its proprietary and patented Bluezero® technology. This technology's main selling point was its use of pure water (R718) as a refrigerant, completely avoiding the fluorinated gases (F-gases) common in conventional systems. The system operates by the direct evaporation, compression, and condensation of water within a closed-loop vacuum, enabling a climate-neutral cooling process. Benefits highlighted for the eChiller included significant energy efficiency, with claims of using up to 80% less electricity than traditional chillers, leading to lower operating costs and no direct CO2 emissions. The product line included models like the eChiller35/45 and the more powerful eChiller120, which offered a cooling capacity of up to 120 kW and could be clustered for demands exceeding 500 kW.

Throughout its history, Efficient Energy filed for over 200 patents related to its water-based refrigerant technology. The company gained market traction, particularly in the DACH region, deploying over 170 of its eChiller systems. In June 2023, after promising talks with a strategic investor failed, the company filed for insolvency. The step was taken to provide a framework to find a new investor or buyer to support the serial production of its next-generation products. In September 2023, the patents and other technological assets of Efficient Energy were acquired by Vertiv Srl, an Italian subsidiary of Vertiv, a global provider of equipment and services for data centers.

Keywords: water refrigerant, Bluezero technology, eChiller, clean cooling, sustainable refrigeration, industrial chillers, R718 refrigerant, process cooling, data center cooling, energy-efficient chillers, F-gas replacement, climate-friendly cooling, cleantech, industrial refrigeration, machine cooling, natural refrigerants, vacuum evaporation cooling, commercial refrigeration, HVACR, Vertiv