AIR CONDITIONING
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 efficiency or how to fault-find correctly – all essential skills. This is where the training regimes from individual manufacturers are so important.
W hen you consider that a poorly installed and maintained air conditioning system can result in a 20% to 30% reduction in efficiency of that equipment, it is easy to see why training matters so much – after all, it is after all our ‘badge’ on the box.
That is why we, as a manufacturer, actively promote Refcom Elite, the original, more rigorous voluntary scheme. All of our Diamond Quality Partners are Refcom Elite after undergoing inspection by an independent third party, which demonstrates their capabilities far beyond the basic Refcom certification.
2020 and beyond
We need to remember the reason why this is all so important with the F-Gas R egulation aiming to achieve an 80% cut in emissions across the EU by 2030. From the start of this year any refrigerant that has a GWP of over 2500 will be made illegal for any system. This starts the next 10-year phase down of hydrofluorocarbon gases with the ultimate objective to cut the availability of HFCs by 79% between 2015 and 2030.
T he industry phase down regulations have been in place since at least 2006, so manufacturers have had plenty of time to innovate. That is why we are s eeing a plethora of RAC and PAC systems now available in R32 and why VRF is also now available in R32, enabling customers to install multiple systems across an estate, all utilising the same refrigerant.
F or situations where R32 calls for additional equipment such as compulsory l eak detection, that’s where 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.
Available R32 options
Most ma jor manufacturers now have room a ir conditioning (RAC) and package d 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, w hich offers 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 n eeding to bring one refrigerant to site.
Up until this point, the only R32 option available for large applications has been the unique, Hybrid VRF system from Mitsubishi Electric, which removes any refrigerant from the majority of the system and uses water as the heat transfer medium. This significantly reduces the GWP of the system and can a lso remove the need for leak detection. As an industry, we know we must m ove 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, as an industry, we now have a clear offering to our customers and there are now R32 systems available for almost any application, offering a clear choice for building owners who wish to reduce their carbon footprint and lower r unning costs.
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