Frixis

What Frixis does

Frixis (legal entity Frixis vzw, enterprise number BE 0410.813.905) is the Royal Belgian Professional Association for the refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump and air treatment (HVAC-R) sector, founded in 1948 and headquartered in Aalst, Belgium. It functions as the unique sector-wide umbrella uniting installers, manufacturers, importers, distributors, training centres, schools, engineering firms and independent experts under a single membership body, currently serving 800+ members with a core staff of approximately five people plus a chairman and director.

The organisation's product portfolio centres on four service lines: (i) certification administration for refrigeration technicians in cooperation with the regional authorities VEKA (Flanders), Brussels Leefmilieu and AWAC (Wallonia); (ii) training and seminars covering F-gas regulation, natural refrigerants and heat-pump installation; (iii) sector-specific advisory on technical, legal and regulatory matters including PED and EN378 standards; and (iv) a digital knowledge bank, webshop for publications and standards, and tools including the frixistools.be leak-test calculator. Adjacent educational initiatives include the Start2Cool secondary-school outreach platform (2022), the ESF-funded Innovet project (2022), VR training modules deployed in 2023, the view2hvac.com multilingual image dictionary (2024), and the Frixis Thesisprijs (2026).

Revenue derives from annual membership subscriptions (regular categories at undisclosed rates plus reduced fees under €200 ex-VAT for retirees, supporting members, professors, end-users, schools and students), webshop sales of publications and standards, and training/seminar fees. Distribution is direct via the website, webshop, seminars and member events. Strategic positioning rests on regulatory authority (VEKA appointment, AREA membership for European policy work), an integrated value-chain network, and partnerships with Cool & Comfort, Climafed, EHPA, NVKL and Flemish government bodies.

Name

Frixis

Legal name

Frixis vzw

Website

https://frixis.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Frixis is the Royal Belgian professional association for the HVAC-R sector (refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pumps, air treatment), serving 800+ installer, manufacturer, importer, distributor, training, and expert members nationwide with certification, training, advisory, and sector representation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Aalst

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees (ledenbijdrage) charged to members. Fees are determined based on membership type. Members joining mid-year pay pro-rata. Some categories (retirees, supporting members, professors, end-users, schools, students) pay fees under €200 which are not prorated.
2. Webshop Sales: Sale of publications, documents, and sector-related products through the Frixis webshop.
3. Training and Seminar Fees: Revenue from organizing seminars, training courses, and educational programs for the HVAC-R sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Frixis is a professional membership association serving Belgium's HVAC-R sector (refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pumps, air treatment) with approximately 800+ members. Its core offerings include technician certification administration (in cooperation with VEKA and other regional authorities), technical training and seminars, sector-specific advisory services on legal/regulatory matters, a digital knowledge bank, an online leak test period calculator, and a webshop selling publications and industry standards. The association also runs educational initiatives including the Start2Cool career-promotion platform and view2hvac.com digital glossary.

Product overview

Frixis is the Royal Belgian Professional Association for the refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump, and air treatment sector (HVAC-R). Rather than a software product company, Frixis provides a suite of professional services including certification administration for refrigeration technicians, training programs and seminars, sector-specific advisory services, and a knowledge bank. The organization operates a webshop for publications and standards, offers an online leak test period calculator (frixistools.be), and runs educational initiatives including the Start2Cool platform, view2hvac.com digital glossary, and the annual Frixis Thesisprijs for students. Member benefits include discounts on Companyweb subscriptions and reduced Reprobel contributions. The core offering centers on advocacy, education, certification, and knowledge sharing within Belgium's HVAC-R industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certificering (Certification) Certification services for refrigeration technicians and companies in Belgium, administered in cooperation with regional authorities (VEKA, Brussels Leefmilieu, AWAC) to administer certification exams and maintain quality standards in the HVAC-R sector.
• Opleidingen en Seminaries (Training and Seminars) Training programs and seminars covering topics such as the new European F-gas regulation, refrigeration for non-specialists, natural refrigerants, and heat pump installation. Includes both public sessions and in-house training for member companies.
• Sectorgerichte Adviesverlening (Sector Advisory Services) Advisory services providing technical, legal, and regulatory guidance on topics including certification, legislation, PED, EN378 standards, and natural refrigerants for HVAC-R professionals.
• Kennisbank (Knowledge Bank) Digital knowledge repository containing news, articles, guides, and sector-specific information organized by topics (refrigerants, legislation, certification, safety, technique, procedures) and regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels, Belgium, Europe).
• Lektestperiode Calculator (Leak Test Period Calculator) Online calculator tool at frixistools.be for determining leak test intervals for refrigeration equipment, supporting technicians in compliance with F-gas regulations.
• Webshop Online store offering publications, logbooks, certificates, model documents, and reference materials for HVAC-R professionals, including standards such as EN378.
• view2hvac.com (Digital Image Dictionary) Digital image dictionary for HVAC-R terminology with over 100 terms around heat pumps available in multiple languages, developed with CVO Geel and subsidized by the Province of Antwerp.
• Start2Cool Educational platform promoting HVAC-R careers to secondary school students, with dedicated sections for schools, jury members, and teachers, featuring promotional materials and information about training opportunities.
• Frixis Thesisprijs

Named customers1 record

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AREA (European HVAC-R Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrixis is a member of AREA, the European umbrella organization for the cooling, air conditioning and heat pump sector. Through AREA working groups, Frixis contributes to European policy development including proposals to the European Commission on cooling technician certification requirements.
• CompanywebminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering Frixis members a 10% discount on their first year of Companyweb subscription. Companyweb provides business information to help members assess creditworthiness of customers.
• Cool & ComfortminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for the Cool & Comfort magazine and trade event. Frixis participates in the Cool & Comfort Happening trade fair.
• VEKA (Vlaams Energieagentschap)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrixis appointed by VEKA to help shape new certification requirements for cooling technicians, working in close cooperation with the sector and Flemish government on implementing new European legislation.
• ClimafedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Climafed to collect quarterly sales figures for air conditioners and heat pumps, shared with government for policy decisions.
• Green Deal - Klimaatvriendelijke koelingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrixis actively working with the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency on implementation of the Green Deal for Climate-Friendly Cooling.
• NVKL (Nederlandse Beroepsorganisatie)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose cooperation with Dutch professional organization for knowledge sharing and implementation of European regulations.
• CVO Hik / CVO GeelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on educational projects including View2HVAC digital glossary project with 100+ terms in multiple languages, and Start2Cool school outreach program.
• EHPA (European Heat Pump Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrixis participates in EHPA project on safe working with monoblock heat pumps using R290 refrigerant.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• VDKF (Verband Deutscher Kälte-Klima-Fachbetriebe): German trade association for refrigeration and air conditioning companies. VDKF is a comparable national-level peer providing similar member services, training, and advocacy in the German HVAC-R market.
• UNICLIMA: French trade association for HVAC, refrigeration, and heat pump professionals. UNICLIMA is a comparable trade body focused on the French HVAC-R market, providing a regional peer for benchmarking Frixis's membership, certification, and advocacy model.

Direct peers

• NVKL (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Koeltechniek en Luchtbehandeling): Dutch professional organization for refrigeration and air treatment. Frixis cooperates with NVKL on knowledge sharing and implementation of European regulations. NVKL is a close national-level peer covering the same HVAC-R scope as Frixis in the neighboring Dutch market.
• EHPA (European Heat Pump Association): European trade association representing the heat pump industry. Frixis collaborates with EHPA on the R290 monoblock heat pump safety project. EHPA is a directly comparable sector trade association, focused on the heat pump subset of HVAC-R that Frixis also serves.
• AREA (Air conditioning and Refrigeration European Association): European umbrella organization for the HVAC-R sector. Frixis is a member of AREA and collaborates through AREA working groups on European policy. AREA is a peer as the continental counterpart operating at the next level of aggregation with the same membership-driven, advocacy-and-certification focus.
• REHVA (Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations): European federation of national HVAC associations. REHVA is a directly comparable umbrella peer operating in the same membership/advocacy model as Frixis but at pan-European scale and covering the broader HVAC rather than HVAC-R.

Broad incumbents

• ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers): Global professional society for HVAC-R engineers and professionals. ASHRAE is a broader incumbent peer operating at much larger scale globally and serving overlapping professional, standards-setting, and certification functions for HVAC-R practitioners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Frixis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ubfaca

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Frixis