R22 replacement scheme is budget neutral
Toshiba Air Conditioning has launched a leasing scheme for replacing obsolete R22 air-conditioning equipment with new systems — in most cases for no additional cost. R22 is still one of the most common refrigerants in use in installed systems, but the use of R22 for topping up plant will be banned from the end of 2014.
David Dunn, the company’s commercial director, explains, ‘Systems still running on R22 will effectively become obsolete. The problem is there is a huge amount of R22-based equipment still in use across the UK. Estimates vary, but there may be upwards of 200 000 R22 systems still in operation. This represents a very serious exposure for building operators.
‘Toshiba’s new lease scheme enables them to replace aging R22 plant with new high-efficiency air conditioning in a budget-neutral way. The savings in running costs in the vast majority of cases pay for the lease costs on the new equipment, giving up to seven years’ peace of mind — plus high-quality heating and cooling for building occupants.’
The key to the scheme is the use of high-efficiency R410A equipment to replace old R22 systems. The new plant uses much less energy to deliver the same cooling and heating to a building, dramatically reducing energy bills. In most cases, the monthly saving in running costs will equal the lease costs for the new equipment, making the replacement programme budget neutral.
The scheme includes a warranty of up to seven years on the new equipment, removing uncertainty on servicing and maintenance costs and delivering guaranteed monthly expenditure for budgeting purposes.
Toshiba has developed an online R22 replacement calculator to enable end users, consultants and contractors to assess the cost of applying the scheme to a particular building or estate.
