Last week we reported on the new F Gas regulations and that Defra had produced a report from the point of view of the British Government. Well the latest development in this story is that the revisions have been welcomed by the industry even though there had been fears of targets that were simply unachievable and that changes would be costly.
The Chairman of the ACRIB F Gas Implementation Group, Mike Nankivell has said, “What makes the agreement so important is that it will allow legislators to move forward and provide certainty for the industry. With many end-users already facing difficult decisions about replacing R22 equipment and trying to decide on the best long-term solution for new equipment, a clear position from the EU on future availability of HFC refrigerants has got to be a good thing.”
The new regulations are expected to be released in the summer and as mentioned last week it is expected that new laws will be in place by 2015 of course subject to everything being approved.
The EPEE is the European Manufactures Association and has also had a positive reaction to the revisions although they have raised concerns of the timings. They believe that the plan should be implemented immediately so a skills gap is avoided.
The General Director at EPEE, Andrea Voigt, has said, “EPEE is convinced that phase-down will steer innovation and help industry move towards alternative solutions in a safe and efficient way.
“As to the phase-down, EPEE warns that industry should not wait until the last minute. If the phase-down is not correctly implemented right from the start in 2015, we will have a major problem, especially between 2017 and 2020, when we will have to reduce HFC consumption by 30 per cent within three years.”
In contradiction, Graeme Fox who is the president of contractor association AREA has voiced his concerns about banning gases that have a GWP which is higher than 750. This is because in a single split air conditioning system there could be a switch to flammable refrigerants. He said, “In real terms this means that any AC unit with a duty up to around 14kW would no longer be able to use R410a, but would have to use the flammable R32 or worse.”
Whilst no decision has been reached there will be further talks on March and April, as mentioned in the post last week.
Last week we reported on the new F Gas regulations and that Defra had produced a report from the point of view of the British Government. Well the latest development in this story is that the revisions have been welcomed by the industry even though there had been fears of targets that were simply unachievable and that changes would be costly.
The Chairman of the ACRIB F Gas Implementation Group, Mike Nankivell has said, “What makes the agreement so important is that it will allow legislators to move forward and provide certainty for the industry. With many end-users already facing difficult decisions about replacing R22 equipment and trying to decide on the best long-term solution for new equipment, a clear position from the EU on future availability of HFC refrigerants has got to be a good thing.”
The new regulations are expected to be released in the summer and as mentioned last week it is expected that new laws will be in place by 2015 of course subject to everything being approved.
The EPEE is the European Manufactures Association and has also had a positive reaction to the revisions although they have raised concerns of the timings. They believe that the plan should be implemented immediately so a skills gap is avoided.
The General Director at EPEE, Andrea Voigt, has said, “EPEE is convinced that phase-down will steer innovation and help industry move towards alternative solutions in a safe and efficient way.
“As to the phase-down, EPEE warns that industry should not wait until the last minute. If the phase-down is not correctly implemented right from the start in 2015, we will have a major problem, especially between 2017 and 2020, when we will have to reduce HFC consumption by 30 per cent within three years.”
In contradiction, Graeme Fox who is the president of contractor association AREA has voiced his concerns about banning gases that have a GWP which is higher than 750. This is because in a single split air conditioning system there could be a switch to flammable refrigerants. He said, “In real terms this means that any AC unit with a duty up to around 14kW would no longer be able to use R410a, but would have to use the flammable R32 or worse.”
Whilst no decision has been reached there will be further talks on March and April, as mentioned in the post last week.