GB F-Gas regulation review
Climalife UK
As you are probably aware, the current Great Britain F-Gas regulation is being reviewed.
The review is being led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and as part of this process Defra announced on 5 July that they will conduct a survey of industry which will have a direct impact on the future F-Gas legislation likely to be in place by 2025.
The following sectors have been identified as needing more information:
- Commercial refrigeration (7.5kW to 20kW)
- Industrial direct expansion refrigeration (20kW to 100kW)
- Residential heat pumps (including air to air, <12kW)
- Small VRF systems (~50kW)
The main focus of this survey is to gather information about the cost of using various low GWP refrigerants, particularly :
- Equipment cost
- Installation cost
- Energy/carbon cost (specifically COP or sCOP data)
- Lifetime costs (e.g. maintenance)
Evidence does not need to be a point estimate. Ranges or percentage differences are also acceptable and there will be the opportunity to enter either or all of these options.
Who will have the opportunity to participate?
Everyone who has knowledge of equipment costs has the opportunity to participate. If you are not already receiving email communication directly from Defra about the status of the F-Gas review then you will not receive an invitation to participate.
This information is commercially sensitive, how will it be protected?
Government departments use an independent company to run surveys to ensure confidentiality. All information supplied will be treated as confidential.
How do I get an invitation to participate?
In order to maintain confidentiality and to ensure only one representative for each company participates, the invitations will be sent out to individual email addresses. The link to the survey cannot be shared, so if you are not in the Defra database, you will not receive an invitation and you will not be able to participate.
To register your interest in participating either contact Climalife, and we will submit your details to Defra, or send your request to participate directly to Defra by emailing Sam Bedry (Samantha.Bedry@defra.gov.uk) or Mark Adams (mark.adams@defra.gov.uk).
These are the only options available to participate and help develop a F-Gas regulation that works for our industry.
Plenty of people will participate, why do I need to participate?
This is a very important step in developing the new regulation that will have a huge impact on our industry in the future. It’s important everyone’s views are heard and taken into account. The more people who are involved, the more accurate the information and the better the final decisions will be.
Won’t the industry associations be answering on behalf of the industry?
Not this time. Defra have made it clear they want to hear directly from industry and the type of information they need can only come from individual companies.
Is this just for equipment manufacturers?
No, equipment manufacturers are welcome to participate but as a company buying equipment for many different technologies you are ideally placed to give a comparison of the relative costs of those different technologies.
How soon do I need to respond?
The sooner the better. Defra will be sending out the survey before the end of July and the survey will close 1 month later. The sooner your name is on the participant list the longer you will have to complete the survey.
This is a very time critical process, so don’t delay or it could be too late.
Please do not underestimate the importance of this opportunity to shape future legislation.
This is a one-off time limited opportunity to have your say.
If Climalife can help in anyway then, please let us know.
