Recent proposals to introduce sticker F-Gas legislation quotas on the level and type of refrigerant allowed on the European market risks potentially undermining heat decarbonization, an industry debate has heard.
2022 F-Gas Question Time
The 2022 F-Gas Question Time, which was hosted online by H&V News’ sister title RAC Magazine on May 24, said initial reform plans would put significant supply pressures on HFC refrigerant available for existing systems.
These pressures could also create significant challenges for encouraging heat pump adoption in Europe due to the requirements for a consistent supply of refrigerant in line with market quotas introduced through the F-Gas regulations.
proposals to lower GWP refrigerant
The latest Question Time heard from experts about current progress under the proposals to move to lower GWP refrigerant
The latest Question Time heard from experts about current progress under the proposals to move to lower GWP refrigerant for purposes such as cooling and heating.
The event, sponsored by Chemours, has been hosted by the magazine for over ten years to contemplate the effectiveness of the flagship European regulation and how it is impacting the RACHP industry.
need for greater use of refrigerants
H&V News editor Andrew Gaved said the latest Question Time was being held as the European Commission is seeking feedback on controversial revisions to its quota system and timetable.
These amendments - if passed in their current form - would mean far less HFC is available from the end of the decade for the RACHP. This would drive a need for greater use of refrigerants with unique handling requirements and systems and installers able to safely handle them
95% cut
At present, the existing regulation imposed into both UK and EU law requires by 2030 that the availability of HFCs on the market is cut to 79 percent of 2015 levels. The latest European Commission proposals would see this amount cut to 95 percent over the same timeline if introduced.
Consultant Ray Gluckman told the Question Time audience that the regulation reforms would complicate ambitions in both Europe and the UK to decarbonize space heating.
heat pumps
The plan commits to ramp up heat pump use across the EU by 2030 to reduce demand for fossil fuel heat
He said, “One of the most important tools, and a very exciting tool as far as our industry is concerned, is that we are going to use heat pumps to do that. But we have to install all those heat pumps and that will take a lot of new gas going into the equipment.”
The scale of this challenge has been further amplified by the publication by the European Commission of the REPowerEU Plan in response to concerns about the levels of fossil fuel gas supplied to Europe from Russia after it invades Ukraine, Mr. Gluckman added. The plan commits to ramp up heat pump use across the EU by 2030 to reduce demand for fossil fuel heat in markets such as Germany.
increase in HFC use
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said before this year’s Question Time that the European Commission's proposals for revising F-Gas legislation should go further and push for a total ban on any equipment such as heat pumps designed to use any HFCs.
Clare Perry, climate campaigns leader for the EIA, argued at the time that ambitions for expanding heat pump installations should not lead to an increase in HFC use when lower GWP alternatives were available.
F-Gas commitments
During a panel debate at this year’s F-Gas Question Time, experts were asked whether they were fear-mongering about the impacts of the proposals in a similar manner to concerns raised about the introduction of the original F-Gas commitments a decade ago.
This was particularly the case with regards to ambitions to move to even lower GWP gas products that will introduce higher levels of flammability, pressure, or toxicity in their handling requirements.
installation and maintenance
Important training considerations ensure systems can be installed and maintained to operate at an efficient level
Mr. Gluckman said in response that the industry did want to move to systems that effectively support lower GWP systems, but the industry also had to move to higher flammability products such as propane refrigerants with caution. He said, “The time offered to move an industry, for example, to propane, it seems wrong.”
Other members of the panel said that there were important training considerations, along with research and development and sufficient regulation needed to ensure systems can be installed and maintained to operate at an efficient level with lower GWP refrigerant at a mass scale.
handling lower GWP refrigerants
Mark Woods, managing director of facilities management specialist Arcus FM, said during the debate that upskilling was as equally important as manufacturer R&D to ensure the industry was ready to move in greater numbers towards yet another generation of refrigerants.
He said, “The big businesses, the big contractors, those that are associated with trade associations will be knowledgeable. But we have a huge tail in the industry that still hasn’t caught up with the last regulation changes.” A failure to correctly introduce a method of ensuring competence for handling lower GWP refrigerants such as hydrocarbons risked undermining their safe and efficient use, the panel added.
