Industry urged to engage with UK F-gas survey
20th July 2023
UK: Companies in the UK refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry are being urged to participate in DEFRA’s forthcoming review of the F-gas regulation.
DEFRA announced on 5 July that it will conduct an industry survey which will have a direct impact on the future F-Gas legislation likely to be in place by 2025.
In a Linkedin post, Allan Harper, MD of refrigerant supplier Climalife UK, has stressed the importance of participating in the survey which DEFRA will be sending out before the end of the month. There will be a mere four weeks to respond.
“This is a very important step in developing the new regulation that will have a huge impact on our industry in the future,” Harper writes. “It’s important everyone’s views are heard and taken into account. The more people who are involved, the more accurate the information and the better the final decisions will be.”
The European F-gas regulation (517/2014) passed into UK law following Brexit and, as in Europe, the governments of England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) have a legal duty to undertake a comprehensive review of the regulation.
Northern Ireland remains tied to the EU regulation but the Northern Ireland Executive was involved in the F-gas discussions and updates between the other three governments.
While the EU has so far not reached agreement on the revision, the UK government has previously indicated that it would follow the European regulation or even extend it.
According to Allan Harper, the following sectors have been identified as needing more information: commercial refrigeration (7.5kW to 20kW), industrial direct expansion refrigeration (20kW to 100kW), residential heat pumps (including air-to-air, <12kW) and small VRF systems (~50kW).
The main focus of the survey is to gather information about the cost of using various low GWP refrigerants, particularly in respect of equipment, installation, energy/carbon (specifically COP or SCOP data), and lifetime costs.
“Everyone who has knowledge of equipment costs has the opportunity to participate,” Harper notes. “If you are not already receiving email communication directly from DEFRA about the status of the F-gas review then you will not receive an invitation to participate.
“The sooner your name is on the participant list the longer you will have to complete the survey,” he stresses. “Please do not underestimate the importance of this opportunity to shape future legislation. This is a one-off time limited opportunity to have your say.”
Companies or individuals are invited to send a request to participate directly to DEFRA by emailing Sam Bedry (Samantha.Bedry@defra.gov.uk) or Mark Adams (mark.adams@defra.gov.uk).
Related stories:
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DEFRA begins UK F-gas review – 17 February 2021
UK: The UK government is beginning work on its own review of the F-gas regulations and intends to publish a report by no later than 31 December 2022. Read more…
