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F GAS REGISTRATION HAS DUMBED DOWN STANDARDS
he intention of the F Gas regulation to minimise harmful emissions from refrigeration and air conditioning was spot on, but there have been some harmful unintended consequences, according to head of REFCOM Graeme Fox (pictured). The government set the qualification benchmark for operatives too low when F Gas registration was made mandatory in the UK five years ago. As a result, the sector has seen a lot of dumbing down of standards with a lot of poorly qualified people calling themselves refrigeration engineers when they are nothing of the kind.
As a result, some companies are using cheap labour rather than properly qualified engineers for installation and servicing work – to the detriment of the end user…and the environment. The problem is that an operative might be F Gas registered, but may not properly understand how to operate a system, how to interrogate it, and how to accurately fault-find. All of these should be essential skills for today’s engineers, who are now working with systems that are extremely sophisticated and packed with digital technology. The F-Gas regulation has pushed refrigerant manufacturers to focus heavily on energy efficiency to lower their products’ global warming potential (GWP). However, if a system is not installed correctly and then not professionally maintained, the equipment will perform poorly so wasting energy and pushing up emissions. The solution is for the industry to aim for higher technical and professional competence standards as represented by BESA’s REFCOM Elite scheme. Currently, this higher benchmark is voluntary with firms who are keen to demonstrate their credentials and to market themselves as quality firms opting to join. However, this may become the UK industry mandatory standard in the future if the government decides to act on what is a growing problem.
Specifiers
This was something favoured by a number of contributors to a recent roundtable debate. For
example, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (ACRIB) chair Graham Wright argued that F Gas registration was being mistaken for a professional qualification. “F Gas allows an installer to work on the equipment, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that person is qualified to understand how the system works, or assess its energy efficiency or any safety requirements,” he told the roundtable. “It has brought everyone down to a minimum standard. “A poorly installed and maintained air conditioning system can result in a 20% to 30% reduction in efficiency of that equipment,” he added. So, while a consultant’s design might be well intentioned and accurate, it is the implementation of that design that causes problems. They might even specify that the contractor has to be a member of REFCOM Elite, but in reality the person carrying out the work is only qualified to the basic F Gas level and people on site do not check.
This also has potential safety implications because many of the low GWP alternative refrigerants being brought in to help the industry manage the f gas phase down are more flammable.
The F Gas qualification allows contractors to work legally with R32 equipment, for example, but it does not cover people under the Health and Safety at Work Act. That is an important point for employers, because they have to be sure a person is competent to carry out the task.
If they have not had any training in flammable refrigerants, but have been asked to install or service a R32 system, then it is hard to see how you can prove they are competent.
“Manufacturers, such as Daikin and Mitsubishi, have done a lot to raise people’s awareness of this issue, but we need the whole industry to get to a certain level to ensure we meet the safety
standards,” explained Mr Wright.
Driving up professional standards needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. If specifications say that the person working on the equipment must be Refcom Elite registered and that requirement is policed that could make a huge difference.
REFCOM and ACRIB are also in discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) about the possibility of implementing training courses on flammability and establishing the skills and level of competency required. There will also be an opportunity to tackle this through revisions to the Building Regulations, which are due later this year. That would give the government a framework in which to impose higher standards across the industry in line with what is already provided under the Refcom Elite scheme.
Why become members of REFCOM Elite?
REFCOM Elite membership proves to owners and operators that a refrigeration or air conditioning company: * Is competent to install, commission, decommission or maintain a system containing refrigerant
* Is a licensed waste carrier * Can handle refrigerants safely
* Is compliant with all current legal requirements * Operates auditable procedures for the proper control of refrigerants, and can account for all refrigerant used and recovered
* Uses appropriate, purpose-designed refrigerant recovery equipment
* Performs refrigerant transactions with minimum emissions and is environmentally aware. * REFCOM Elite membership is granted after inspection by an independent third party.
www.refcom.org.uk
www.heatingandventilating.net
March 2020
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