REFRIGERANTS
The right choice makes a difference
Aermec’s Paul Osborne reviews what refrigerant options are available and how best practice and investing in energy efficient solutions is the best way to plan ahead.
B
y now almost everyone in the HVACR industry should be well aware of the steady phase out of HFCs with many
refrigerants no longer available and consigned to obsolescence. The regulatory landscape has helped shape the drive to replace refrigerants with more efficient and sustainable refrigerants and equipment. Manufacturers have responded by developing new products and solutions that reduce their impact on the environment but have also proven to be good for business in terms of operational efficiency, performance and safety.
From 01 January this year UK and EU legislation came into force which means that F-Gases with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 2500 or more cannot be used to service or refill refrigeration equipment. Common refrigerants affected are R404A and R507A (the supply of which was suspended by Chemours as of 01 January 2020). Refrigeration equipment using reclaimed or recycled can do so until 2030. Non-refrigeration applications such as air conditioning and heat pumps are not affected and military applications and low temperature refrigeration (below -50°C) are exempt. The F-Gas changes make us all aware that HFCs are powerful gases that contribute to climate change and climate change activists and recent protests have brought into the general consciousness the vulnerabilities of our planet, the impact we all have and that includes the refrigerants we use. Along with the EU, the UK has agreed to phase down their usage by some 79% by 2030.
32 March 2020
The F-Gas legislation offers an opportunity for users to switch to alternative refrigerants and use reclaimed material that is exempt from the servicing ban until 2030. They could also assess whether the continued maintenance of aged plant is cost effective or energy efficient. A better ROI could be achieved by using the opportunity to invest in new more energy efficient equipment and look for solutions that also use lower GWP refrigerants. This may entail a retrofit approach for an existing system or replacing it altogether. Along with greater awareness, action is growing too. A survey carried out in the last quarter of 2019 by the Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking’s Business Barometer highlighted that 24% of SMEs improved the energy efficiency of their business premises last year and that 22% of them chose suppliers that offer greener and more sustainable solutions.
Refrigerants are a hot regulatory issue and the regulations governing them are the most important drivers for change. They are encouraging manufacturers to develop innovative chillers, refrigeration systems and AHUs that perform better, more efficiently and more sustainably whilst at the same time taking advantage of the new refrigerants and speciality gases available. Now more than ever the industry is offering a wide range of solutions with Low GWP refrigerants to match. BSRIA predicts global growth in air conditioning in all major markets and demand for cooling is set to increase substantially over the coming decades as a direct result of climate change.
According to a European Commission report on heating and cooling, the number of residential air conditioners in Europe is expected to more than double by 2030. Other major consumers are supermarkets and digitalisation, where data centres are projected to use 4% of the total energy consumed in the EU (On average around 40% of energy use in a data centre is taken up by the cooling) and in many developing countries the growth of cooling is anticipated to be significantly higher – as countries prosper air condition and refrigeration equipment will be seen as ‘must-haves’. There are major challenges to face. Globally there is a lot of activity to develop new refrigerants and in Europe there are deadlines set for a phasing out in the next 12 years of material, firstly above a GWP of 2500, then 1000 and finally 500. But various bodies and pressure groups are pushing for faster and tougher measures and a greater use of natural refrigerants.
The EU would like to see a much wider use of lower GWP refrigerants. The vast majority of refrigerants in use are classified as A1 and have a low toxicity and/or no flammable for example R134A, R404A and R410A. But the European Partnership for Energy & the Environment (EPEE), Association of European Component Manufacturers (ASERCOM), European Fluorocarbon and Sulphur Hexafluoride (EFCTC) and the European Association of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump (RACHP) Contractors are actively campaigning for greater use of A2L refrigerants such as R32 as well as the natural materials.
www.acr-news.com
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