ACR Journal

June | July 2023 Despite the lack of clarity regarding forthcoming refrigerant bans and restrictions, A-Gas Managing Director John Ormerod highlights some good news as we look to reduce the use of virgin gases and protect the environment. The latest proposals to revise the F-Gas Regulation in Europe are pointing to more aggressive phase-downs and accelerated equipment bans. While we don’t know if the UK will follow suit, it is important that the industry does consider the consequences. Faster, more aggressive phase-downs will make the energy transition – leading to the widespread use of heat pumps – more difficult and this means that a compromise will be required. Heat pumps are at the REFRIGERANTS 26 Despite the lack of clarity regarding forthcoming refrigerant bans and restrictions, A-Gas Managing Director John Ormerod highlights some good news as we look to reduce the use of virgin gases and protect the environment. Record year for recovery and reclamation heart of the vision for a low carbon future as we lay the building blocks for a more sustainable way of life. In accelerating the F-Gas Regulation step-downs looking for a third way is crucial. With the days of fossil-fuelled domestic boilers numbered and ambitions in all sectors of the building services industry to save energy and adopt more sustainable practices, heat pumps are fundamental in getting close to the Government’s low carbon targets. There are other factors to consider too. Experts agree that indirect emissions from electrical consumption are a greater contributor to climate change than refrigerant leaks. This means it is always important to weigh-up system performance and energy efficiency before making a decision on a refrigerant. For many this is the greater prize as we look to reduce energy consumption and make the domestic, commercial and industrial markets less reliant on high global warming potential gases. Lifecycle management But the importance of lifecycle refrigerant management is growing. Schemes to encourage lifecycle refrigerant management attract broad support across the EU and this highlights that there is strong recognition for the need to recover and reclaim refrigerants. Following this strategy will help balance the ambition of the F-Gas revision with the need to support heat pump growth. At these times of uncertainty when we are looking to reduce our reliance on virgin gases, it is heartening to hear that A-Gas has reported a record year for refrigerant recovery and reclamation activity. Adding together all the used gas that our teams have recovered, reclaimed, repurposed or destroyed across the globe during 2022, can be expressed as the equivalent of taking 1.8 million vehicles off the road for a year or planting 123 million trees – a significant increase on the A-Gas numbers for 2021 and making it the company’s best year. The overall carbon abatement number for last year was 8,617,743 tCO2e, up more than 1.1 million tons of CO2e when compared to the 2021 figure. Across a 12-month period this is an impressive 15 per cent increase. This is a great achievement. A-Gas has invested consistently in innovative Volume 9 No.4 John Ormerod of A-Gas