The government could tighten up the rules restricting 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, who leads Defra’s F-Gas policy team, told a briefing event hosted by ‘the UK’s primary F-Gas register’, REFCOM, 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.
He explained that 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 – 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 Technical director, Kevin Morrissey (pictured), said the subject of alternative refrigerants was among the most common technical areas raised by callers to his department, along with issues linked to the phase-down of HFCs. REFCOM, which undertakes regular audits to help companies remain compliant with the F-Gas regulations, found 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.
“This is a tough and challenging industry, and there is now much greater focus on competence and compliance,” he said. “However, the fact that there are around 9,000 businesses in REFCOM helps us address the big issues many have in common.”
Software provider, Joblogic, which sponsored the event, and provides ‘a tailored software solution’ for REFCOM members, said staying compliant with F-Gas regulations was ‘getting tougher’, with companies still relying on paper records ‘risking fines and legal action’.