ACR Journal

The RAC Engineer’s Guide to Low GWP Refrigerants 30 It is all too easy to miss what we’ve achieved in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industries in recent years when it has happened slowly and when so much still needs to be done. But if you take a step back and look at how our industry has changed the achievements are plain to see. When the original F-Gas Regulation came into force in July 2007 the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump sectors had a terrible reputation for poor leak control standards. Working practices With an emphasis on improving containment the regulation was successful in focusing the industry’s attention on better working practices. In recent years this focus has moved from containment towards changing the landscape within which we operate. The reference points went from physical charge in terms of kilogrammes to focussing on the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of refrigerants by referencing everything in terms of CO 2 equivalent. Simultaneously, the regulation has forced a phase down of refrigerants in use by implementing a quota mechanism that reduces sharply over a 15-year period from 2015 to 2030. This has shifted the market direction significantly in a number of ways: • Equipment manufacturers have developed systems working with different blends and compounds. • There has been a focus on reclamation and recycling to encourage the use of refrigerants already in the market rather than new virgin products. • The need for upskilling a contractor base that now frequently works with flammable substances that they were not originally trained to handle has also emerged. Graeme Fox, Senior Mechanical Engineer at the Building Engineering Services Association, on why registration and certification is a must for all installers in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industries. Registration and Certification