ACR Journal

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai acrjournal.uk 25 AIR CONDITIONING warming ‘impact’ and in the case of R410A, the impact would be 20.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (10,000 tonnes x 2,088 GWP). With R32, the 1% leakage rate from one million tonnes still results in 10,000 tonnes. However, now the GWP has been significantly lowered from 2,088 to 675. This means that the global warming ‘impact’ of R32 would be 6.75 million tonnes compared to 20.8 million tonnes with R410A. That is a reduction of over 300% regardless of the figures used in the calculation. The tonnes may change, but the GWP figures for both refrigerants are constant and the percentage improvement from the use of R32 is also constant. This is why the transition to R32 – another step on the road to even lower GWP - is so timely, especially when less refrigerant is needed within each comparable system. Reducing refrigerant leakage through training One of the most important areas to help the industry reduce any potential for leakage is training. It is now mandatory for anyone working with refrigerants to get F-Gas certification from REFCOM – the industry leading provider of F-Gas certification training. This verifies that individuals are competent to install, commission, decommission or maintain a system containing refrigerant, and that can safely handle refrigerants and are aware of the proper, auditable procedures. F-Gas certification therefore allows an installer to work on the equipment, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that person is qualified to understand how the system works, how to interrogate it to assess its energy e–ciency or how to fault-find correctly – all essential skills. This is where the training regimes from individual manufacturers are so important. When you consider that a poorly installed and maintained air conditioning system can result in a 20% to 30% reduction in e–ciency of that equipment, it is easy to see why training matters so much. The expanding R32 selection With the regulations having already been in place since 2006, industry manufacturers have had plenty of time to innovate, and a host of RAC and PAC systems are now available in R32. Also, VRF systems have more recently become available as an R32 option - enabling customers to install multiple systems across an estate, all utilising the same refrigerant. And for situations where R32 calls for additional equipment such as compulsory leak detection, the innovative Hybrid VRF comes into its own, using water instead of refrigerant to act as a heat transfer medium. This reduces the overall refrigerant within the system significantly, cutting down on costs and environmental impact. Most major manufacturers now have room air conditioning (RAC) and packaged air conditioning (PAC) ranges available in R32, so there is plenty of choice in the market, as we transition from R410A models to R32. From January of this year, larger R32 VRF systems are also available, which ošers customers and end users the ability to benefit from using one, lower GWP refrigerant across a complete site or building. This in turn makes installation and maintenance more straightforward, with contractors only needing to bring one refrigerant to site. As an industry, we know we must move quickly to R32 as part of the continued F-Gas phasedown. Now that larger VRF systems are available, this should help convince customers of the need to move to R32 and increase its use. So, we now have a clear ošering to our customers and there are now R32 systems available for almost any application, ošering a clear choice for building owners who wish to reduce their carbon footprint and lower running costs. www.timeforr32.co.uk Case study: Acticare, Hereford An R32 Hybrid VRF solution from Mitsubishi Electric is providing heating, comfort cooling and ventilation to employees at care home supplier Acticare in Hereford. The manufacturer’s Lossnay heat recovery ventilation units work alongside the air conditioning by delivering fresh air, extracting stale air and recovering valuable heat energy to maximise e–ciency. The company worked with Business Solutions Partner EMS to design and install the new system. EMS Director Alan Meredith said: “We like what the R32 Hybrid VRF achieves, in particular the enhanced occupier comfort of using water instead of refrigerant in the conditioned space. There’s also the environmental benefits of using the lower GWP R32 refrigerant and keeping this to the minimum needed by using water throughout the majority of the building.” The use of R32 was also important for Phil Boyman, Director at Acticare. He said: “One of the main considerations when choosing an air conditioning system was how well it would future- proof the building against changing environmental standards. The Hybrid VRF units were able to do so by meeting F-Gas regulations.” An R32-based system has been installed at Acticare