The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) closed their public consultation on hydrocarbon reforms on the 17th December. Announcements from DEFRA on this topic haven’t been made yet, and we expect it to be a little while before anything is formally announced. This is what we believe they will do to accelerate the reduction of hydroflorocarbons (HFC) in the country.
Why it matters
HFCs are widely used as refrigerants. They are used within the equipment to remove heat from the spaces that need to be cooled. Most of these have GWP (Global Warming Potential) rating in the 1000s. Swapping to other gases with lower impacts will make a big difference.
What is GWP?
GWP describes how much impact a gas will have on atmospheric warming over a period of time compared to carbon dioxide. Each greenhouse gas has a different atmospheric warming impact, and some gases remain in the atmosphere for longer than others. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has the lowest warming potential. It is the most abundant and lasts for thousands of years, so it is used as the baseline.
Refrigerant options
Carbon dioxide has the lowest GWP but to be effective has to work at much higher pressures than HFCs and other refrigerant options. This makes it difficult and expensive as an option. Other
options available include Propane (R290), Isobutane (R600a), Ammonia (R717), and R1234ze (a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerant). These all have really low GWP ratings, but are explosive gases and require ATEX confirming components. This is why you need to talk to us about ATEX fans now.
Three Options
1. Do nothing/slow down
HFCs are potent greenhouse gases. They must be reduced if the UK is to hit its NetZero targets and international obligations. With a target of reducing HFC supply by 79% by 2030, it seems extremely unlikely DEFRA are going to leave the current regulations in place.
Some trade organisations have concerns about GB industry’s ability to meet the targets they believe DEFRA will set, citing training and refrigerant recovery rates as their concerns.
2. Match EU targets
The European Union has set ambitious targets that look for steeper reductions in the first few years, with a slowing down of the reduction rate after 2030. To us, this would seem to be the most logical choice. Whilst we may not be part of the EU anymore, aligning targets would allow cross-border trade for both British and European manufacturers.
You can see from column 3 below that the proposed changes look for a less drastic first cut, but then continue making big cuts over the next couple of decades.
3. Reach for the stars
Column 6 shows their most challenging phasedown option that almost completely removes HFCs by 2050. The changes required to reach the extremely challenging targets in the early years would involve huge changes in the design and manufacturing of a wide range of equipment from heat pumps to medical incubators and a huge amount of refrigeration equipment. The costs involved for industry would be huge.
Next Steps
Right now the industry is waiting for DEFRA to announce what its revised targets are going to be. We are seeing some manufacturers switch to R290 Propane as their way of pre-empting the legislation change in this country, and to meet current EU regulations. This is leading to increased interest in Sunon’s range of EC fans, which are available with full ATEX certification. If you are looking to prepare for potential changes to legislation and wish to discuss SUNON’s ATEX range in more detail, please contact us here.
