EVENTS
Industry insight, legislative clarity and a call to action
Climalife’s eighth technical customer day brought together contractors, manufacturers and industry specialists for a full programme of refrigerant updates, legislative insight and practical guidance on the transition to lowGWP solutions. Across the day, speakers emphasised the same message: the refrigerant landscape is tightening faster than many expect, and the time to act is now.
“We’re here to help you… we’ve got the right
products, the equipment, service,
knowledge and technical assistance.”
O
pening the event, Climalife UK Managing Director Allan Harper welcomed attendees before addressing the pressures shaping the sector. He noted that while
the industry had weathered Brexit, Covid and geopolitical instability, refrigerant supply had remained relatively stable – until now. As he put it, “this year we are working with our true quota. And guess what, there’s not enough product in the market… and when I say product, I mean HFCs.” Harper warned that common refrigerants such as R410A, R134a and R407 series blends are approaching the end of their viability for new installations. “Virgin product will not be available, and the market will have to be serviced through reclaim,” he said, adding that installers may soon have no choice but to use reclaimed refrigerant for service work. He reminded delegates of the volatility seen during the 2017–18 quota squeeze, when prices spiked, and availability collapsed. The industry, he said, is heading in that direction again, only faster. “I’m surprised at the speed at which things are happening,” he admitted. Despite the challenges, Harper stressed that low GWP alternatives are already available and proven. The real task now is persuading endusers to move away from legacy refrigerants before supply constraints force their hand. “In the future, you’re not going to have a choice,” he said. “You have to try and get your customers to make those decisions.”
Legislation update Climalife’s Head of Technical, Neil Roberts, delivered a detailed update on the UK’s FGas revision, still pending, but increasingly urgent. He opened with the core question: “Legislation is changing… so the question is, are you ready for that?” Roberts explained that while the UK has not yet published its
new FGas regulation, Defra’s consultation makes clear that the phasedown will tighten signifi cantly. The UK is legally bound by the Kigali Amendment, meaning deeper cuts are unavoidable. Two scenarios were presented in the consultation:
■Medium ambition – a steep reduction beginning in 2027, then further cuts through to 2048.
■High ambition – an even sharper drop, potentially halving quota in a single year.
20 July 2026 •
www.acr-news.com
Industry bodies, including Climalife, have strongly opposed the highambition option. Roberts explained that the sector cannot absorb such a shock: “The industry cannot cope with such a big cut at such short notice.” Subsequent to this event, Defra has confi rmed that it will not legislate in 2026 to change the HFC phasedown steps, and that the existing Annex 5 requirements will continue to apply for 2027. Instead, the preferred pathway is to maintain the
alreadyscheduled 23% cut in 2027, hold it for three years, and then follow the mediumambition trajectory. Even this, he stressed, will require rapid change. Roberts illustrated the challenge with a simple comparison:
today’s average refrigerant GWP across the UK market is around 1500. Under the proposed phasedown, that average must fall dramatically. “The vast majority of the products which are being used today… fi t on the part of the chart which is not sustainable.” In other words: high GWP HFCs will not survive the next
decade. To bring the point home, Roberts ran a live demonstration using Skittles to represent CO₂equivalent quota. Tables assigned to highGWP refrigerants quickly ran out of “quota”, while those using A2L blends remained viable. The exercise mirrored the realworld future: systems charged with R404A, R410A or R407A/F will become impossible to support. His conclusion was clear: “All new equipment should be installed with something with less than 1000 GWP… Low GWP alternatives are available today. Please start using them.”
A2L solutions The next session, led by representatives from Solstice (Honeywell), focused on the practical application of A2L refrigerants – particularly R455A and R454C – across commercial refrigeration. The UK’s commitments under the Paris Agreement require a 68% reduction in emissions by 2030, yet the country is already behind schedule. Energy effi ciency, he argued, must be considered alongside GWP. Data centres, electrifi cation and grid constraints all point to the same conclusion: systems must use less energy, not just lower GWP refrigerants.
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