Legislation

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Is Global Warming man made or a naturally occurring phenomena? The big question.

Irrespective of the answer- one thing is clear. The global environmental microscope has over the years increasingly focused on the use of refrigerants. Montreal Protocol, Kyoto Treaty, Ozone depletion, Greenhouse gases, Global Warming potential all have one thing in common – the outcome ‘Legislation’.

The phrase “be careful out there it is a minefield” is quite apt when considering the heavy legislative burden now placed not only on the users of refrigerants but also on the owners of equipment containing refrigerants

Whilst the Lightfoot business heavily revolves around air conditioning and refrigeration, we appreciate that our clients businesses predominantly do not. More often than not, air conditioning / refrigeration are just a pieces of equipment used in the day to day running of the company and are something which people take little interest in (unless it is too hot / too cold or broken).

In this section, we aim to bring to you small, easy to understand bites of information regarding recent and up and coming legislation or law changes which may affect you as a user of equipment containing refrigerant.

Refrigerant gas changes

Briefly put, refrigerant gas is the operating medium of your air conditioning or refrigeration system. It cycles around the unit through the pipework, cooling or heating the air inside the area you wish to air condition.

The phase out programme of CFC gases (Ozone depleting Gases) brought about by the Montreal Protocol completed in 2010 – this removed gases with high Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP)(0.60 – 1.0) and High GWP (Global Warming Potential)(4680-10720)

The second phase out, that of HCFC gases is underway. The gases have a significantly reduced ODP (0.01 – 0.5) but still relatively high GWP’s (76 -2270)

The Environmental Protection (Controls on Ozone Depleting Substances)Regulations 2002 ban the use of virgin R22 from 31st December 2009.

Recycled R22 can continue to be used until 31st December 2014 but is expected to be expensive and in short supply. For owners of R22 air conditioning, the most cost-effective solution is likely to be to replace it with a modern, energy efficient system offering up to 70% saving in energy, greatly reduced CO2 emissions and a financial payback in under 4 years. New equipment often qualifies for the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme (www.eca.gov.uk). This allows the installation cost to be offset against taxable profits – effectively reducing the cost of the new system by around 30%. In addition, The Carbon Trust (www.carbontrust.co.uk) offers UK businesses unsecured,  interest-free loans up to £400,000. These loans, repayable over 4 years, are designed to fund investment in a wide range of modern, energy efficient systems

AIR CONDITIONING ASSESSMENTS

Since 4th January 2009, any air conditioning system over 250kW in capacity (usually measured across the entire building) needs to have an Air Conditioning Inspection and Certification at least every 5 years. As of 4th January 2011, these rules also apply to any systems over 12kW.

Compliance is enforced by the Trading Standards Institute.

ENERGY ASSESSMENTS AND CERTIFICATES

Since 4th January 2009 the Energy Performance of  Buildings (Certification & Inspection) Regulations 2007 have required an Energy Assessment (leading to an

Energy Performance Certificate) for all buildings when they are constructed, sold or leased (and renewed at least every 5 years). Energy Assessments give a rating

of the energy performance of a building similar to the ratings now familiar on domestic appliances. Lightfoots are able to arrange Air Conditioning Assessments, Energy Assessments and Certification.

F GAS REGULATIONS

F-Gas Regulations, introduced in July 2007 following the Kyoto Protocol, require the owners and operators of air conditioning systems to take steps to eliminate the emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (HFCs). These include all the commonly used refrigerant gases such as R134a, R407C, R410A and R404A. 

Air conditioning leak check requirements

F Gas regulations state that leak checks for air conditioning and heat pump equipment containing over 3kg of refrigerant gas must be carried out:

• At least annually for applications with 3kg or more of F-gases (unless the equipment is hermetically sealed and labelled as such, in which case the threshold is up to 6kg).
• At least once every six months for applications with 30kg or more of F-gases
• At least once every three months for applications with 300kg or more of F-gases.

A record of maintenance and servicing activity must be kept for each system. A Leakage detection systems must be installed on applications with 300 kg or more of F-gases, and when these are in place, checking requirements are halved.

Leak checks must be carried out by F Gas Certified (qualified) personnel. If a leak is detected and repaired, a further check must be carried out within one month to ensure that the repair has been effective.

As from 4 July 2009 the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations 2009 require any air conditioning servicing involving the handling of refrigerant gases to be carried out only by approved contractors hold full F-Gas Certification

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