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Regulation (EC) No 842/2006Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain fluorinated greenhouse gasesThis page is intended as a guide to stakeholders on Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 of the European Parl... read full article>>> DOWNLOAD: fgasDoc  f-gas Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 Updated 01/02/08 16:02 DEFRA F Gas Regulation FAQsDEFRA and DTI have issued a list of Frequently Asked Questions as a supplement to their FGas Guidance document published in July 2006. Updated 01/02/08 16:03 DEFRA Initial Guidance on the FGas RegulationThe UK Government has issued an intial guidance document on the requirements of the regulation.This is a substantial document which highlights certain definitions and the timetable of further obligations. A copy is available below and you can check the Government website for further updated in due course at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/fgas/index.htm Updated 01/02/08 16:03 NEWS UPDATE MARCH 2007The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board has added two new guidance notes to its website.F Gas Regulation update The first provides information for End Users (owners or operators of refrigerating equipment) regarding their obligations under the F Gas Regulation. This one page definitive guide is endorsed by DTI and DEFRA, and states the dates by which the key obligations will come into force. If you would like further supplies of this leaflet for distribution to clients and customers please contact acrib for details. UK Government is expected to consult during April on a draft piece of legislation on penalties for infringement of the F Gas Regulation and specifying interim minimum refrigerant handling qualifications which will apply in the UK until July 2008 by which time the EU will have clarified what the European requirements will be. Details will be available from the ACRIB and DTI websites as soon as this is available. Negotiations are taking place at the F Gas Regulatory Committee in Brussels regarding minimum standards for certification of individuals and companies as well as leak testing procedures. ACRIB has provided substantial input regarding existing UK qualifications and registration schemes in refrigerant handling via the UK Defra and Dti representatives. WEEE Regulations Detailed guidance on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulation of 2006 has recently been published and this 80-page document can also be downloaded from the ACRIB site. It outlines obligations of producers and distributors of electrical and electronic equipment under the regulation. Updated 01/02/08 16:03 Consultation on Proposals for offences and penalties and enforcement in relation to EC Regulation 842/2006 on Certain Fluorinate
Updated 01/02/08 16:03 New obligations from 4th July - 3/7/2007
Obligations coming into force on 4 July will have direct effect on those affected without any further legislation by the Government.
Containment and recovery
Key requirements include leakage checking and repair by certified personnel (Article 3) and proper recovery by certified personnel (Article 4). Sectors affected include (article 3) stationary commercial and domestic refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump and fire protection sectors as well as (Article 4) the recovery of F gases from these systems as well as from equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gas based solvents and high voltage switchgear and mobile equipment (where this is technically feasible and does not entail disproportionate cost).
The containment and recovery articles in the F Gas Regulation (Articles 3 and 4) will have an impact on operators of relevant systems (typically a company) that will have a range of obligations including record keeping and ensuring certified personnel are used.
Reporting
The Regulation will also have an impact on producers, importers and exporters of F gases if they produce, import or export more than 1 tonne of F gases per annum as there is a requirement in the Regulation to report to the Commission and member States’ competent authorities on the amounts produced, imported or exported. The first report has to be submitted to the Commission by 31 March 2008.
Placing on the market/use bans
Specific uses of F gases and products that contain F gases are controlled or banned by the Regulation. These are set out in Articles 8 and 9 and cover certain uses of sulphur hexafluoride for magnesium die-casting, use of certain F gases in non-refillable containers, fire protection systems, tyres, one component foams, novelty aerosols, footwear and windows and self-chilling cans well as placing on the market prohibitions of specific products containing, or whose function relies upon, F gases.
Upcoming requirements
Several stakeholder bodies are continuing to assist Defra/DTI with the work being led by the European Commission to develop minimum qualification requirements for relevant sectors that will apply from 4/7/08 subject to transitional arrangements (which may run through to 2011 for most sectors). Stakeholders are also providing assistance in relation to Commission proposals for labelling and reporting. The labelling requirement will not come into force until the label has been agreed and a date specified for its application to products placed on the market (currently likely to be about mid-2007).
More information
The Government is continuing to work with stakeholders to ensure that the F Gas regulation is successfully implemented and its environmental objectives achieved. In this context, Defra is currently consulting on Regulations prescribing offences and penalties applicable to infringements of the EC Regulation. These are likely to come into force in November. The consultation can be accessed using the following link:
Further information on the F Gas Regulation and how it is being implemented in the UK, including guidance and frequently asked questions, is available on the Defra website at the following link:
Updated 01/02/08 16:03 Changes to SNVQ Refrigeration Qualifications - your last chance to comment - 7/2/2008SummitSkills have been reviewing the national occupational standards that underpin the SNVQ qualifications – qualifications that shape the future of the industry as young people are trained and assessed in refrigeration and aThis is your last opportunity to influence the structure of the new qualifications.
Your input to and endorsement of the proposed new structures is required. You will only have until the end of next week – Friday 15th February to make your views known. I know this is short notice, but it is a one-off opportunity and if no significant response is received by our sector, SummitSkills will assume that the RAC employers are in complete support with everything proposed in the documentation.
For those involved in the delivery of training ie colleges and training providers it is also important that you comment on these drafts as this again may be your one and only chance to do so before revised qualifications are developed by City and Guilds.
Responses must be submitted on line where there are specific questions on the titles and range of the units proposed, and a space for general comments. Please use the General Comments area to raise any questions or concerns you may have.
1. In summary the draft papers suggests that the qualifications titles be changed to:
2. A specific number of units will make up each qualification with optional units in carbon dioxide, ammonia or heat pumps available at Levels 2 and 3
3. There is also scope to introduce a Final Competence Assessment Unit (FCAU) as an assessment of competence in performance and knowledge. The draft states that “this will not necessarily require a separate assessment, but could take the form of an assignment, or test”. It is not clear how this would impact on the current structure which includes a Technical Certificate which is externally set and externally marked in an independent fashion.
The full draft for the R&AC units (20 pages) is available for download. You can view more details of the consultation process and drafts for other sectors at the website www.summitskills.org.uk/nosreview Updated 13/03/08 17:21 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive - inspections of air conditioning equipment
The DCLG have now introduced the UK regulations ( SI2007:991 and SI 2007:1669) which make routine inspections of all AC systems over 12kW a legal requirement.
Further guidance is anticipated from the DCLG shortly, but in the meantime the guidance to building owners is as follows:
The DCLG are appointing approved bodies who will provide accreditation for those carrying out the assessments on air conditioning equipment. At the moment the bodies are: The DCLG website has further information at http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/buildingregulations/ Updated 22/02/08 09:51 COUNTDOWN TO THE F GAS REGULATIONS
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The European Union's F-gas Regulation No 842/2006 became law on 4 July 2006 and many of the requirements came into force on 4
th July 2007 however, some of these requirements are still awaiting clarification from the Commission. The table below helps to outline what you need to do now.F-gases include all HFC refrigerants, such as R134a, and blends containing F Gases such as R407C, R410A, R404A. If you are handling, recovering, supplying, installing, manufacturing or own equipment containing HFC refrigerants in stationary equipment you now have new legal obligations under the F Gas Regulations.
Updated 21/11/08 09:56
R22 Phase Out, Legislation & Regulation
Chlorodifluoromethane was used as an alternative to the highly ozone-depleting CFC-11 and CFC-12, because of its relatively low ozone depletion potential of 0.055,[1] among the lowest for chlorine-containing haloalkanes.
However, even this lower ozone depletion potential is no longer considered acceptable. It will be phased out soon under the Montreal Protocol, to be replaced by refrigerants with zero ozone depletion potential such as propane (R-290), and other refrigerants (even though they don't have very similar properties): R-410A (an azeotropic mixture of difluoromethane and pentafluoroethane), R-507A, R-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluroethane) and R-409A.
An additional environmental concern regarding chlorodifluoromethane, as well as some of the proposed replacements, is their global warming potential. The global warming potential of chlorodifluoromethane is 1700 (1700 times that of carbon dioxide)[2]. HFCs such as R-410A have high global warming potential, whereas that of propane (R-290) is only 3.
The US EPA has enacted regulation which will phase out the use of HCFC-22 in the near future. Air conditioning manufacturers will no longer be allowed to sell R22 equipment as of January 1, 2010. In the aftermarket service business, the allocation rights for producers who manufacture R22 will be cut each year making the remaining R22 supply potentially smaller than the service demand for the product. This could make R22 scarce in the future, and drive prices to consumers higher.
CALL 0800 479 8011 FOR FREE R22 PHASE-OUT ADVICE
Updated 23/04/09 08:31