More refrigerant bans possible, says government
The government could tighten up the rules that restrict the use of global warming refrigerant gases including speeding up phase-out programmes and introducing new bans, according to a spokesman from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Jacob Andresen told a briefing event hosted by the UK’s primary F Gas register REFCOM that the government “was still listening to the industry” and looking for ideas to help it meet increasingly demanding safety and environmental targets, including potentially speeding up the removal of HFC gases from the market.
Andresen, who leads the department’s F Gas policy team, said the government was planning to consult the sector later this year on reforming its approach as it seeks to meet its obligations of remaining in step with the EU on refrigerant management and contribute to the UK’s own Net Zero targets.
“Do we need a new HFC phase down...do we need new bans?” he asked, adding that DEFRA was also keen to hear from the industry about barriers to wider uptake of lower global warming potential (GWP) alternative refrigerants including technology and safety issues.
During wider discussions at the event, which was held at the headquarters of REFCOM’s parent body BESA in London, members said the flammability of alternative gases was a growing concern and called for the government to provide an information campaign and ensure more people undertook training.
BESA’s Technical Director Kevin Morrissey told the meeting that alternative refrigerants were one of the most common technical queries raised by callers to his department along with issues linked to the phase down of HFCs.
REFCOM, which carries out regular audits to help companies remain compliant with the F Gas regulations, found that the most common issues identified by its auditors included businesses not having their own environmental policies, failing to provide full records of reclaimed refrigerant and not ensuring job sheets were uploaded and included refrigerant returns.
