The majority of air conditioning equipment is electrically powered steam compression machines. The tertiary sector is in great demand for this type of equipment. For the Brussels region, 70% of offices have an air conditioning system. Their consumption amounts to 7% (or 400 GWh) of the region's total annual electricity consumption. With 20 million square metres of office space, this represents a consumption of 28.5 kWh/m²/year for air-conditioned spaces. According to the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), 15% of the world's electricity is used for refrigeration and air conditioning. In addition to the energy consumption aspect, traditional compression machines pose the problem of the environmental impact of the materials used for their construction. Refrigerants are generally harmful to the ozone layer. The choice of environmentally friendly materials therefore requires the development of new refrigeration equipment.