Legislation
In the air conditioning industry there are two main regulations that all companies must adhere to. Designed to regulate and phase out the refrigerants that all air conditioning units use, the regulations are very strict and businesses, landlords and commercial facilities managers could face severe penalties if they do not comply.
The two current regulations that affect the air conditioning industry are:
- Ozone depleting substances
- F-Gas
Manditory Requirements
UK Air Conditioning and Refrigeration legislation states that:
‘‘If you own or operate equipment that contains ODS or F-gases, such as air conditioning or refrigeration, you will need to manage your equipment to prevent polluting the environment.
You must:
Contain, recover and destroy refrigerant gases appropriately. Check your equipment for leaks at least once a year for small equipment and more regularly for large equipment. Only allow appropriately trained people to handle refrigerant gases. Plan for future restrictions’’
Ozone Depleting Substances
Ozone Depleting Substances
No matter what air conditioning system you have been using, there will always have been an amount of refrigerant running through it. The most common one of these is R22, which has been proven to contribute to the depletion of the ozone. The Government has restricted the use of R22 and the complete ban of the refrigerant will start in 2014.
Replacement of this is a lot easier than you may think. As part of the replacement programme, a new internal fan coil and external condensing unit will be installed, rather than replacing the entire systems and pipework.
F-Gas
F-Gas stands for Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas. These are powerful greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and are linked with global warming. If your system uses such refrigerants, you must follow the rules above as well as maintain up to date records of servicing and maintenance for equipment and systems that have more than 3kg of F-Gas.
For more information about the air conditioning and refrigeration legislations and how they might affect you, do not hesitate to contact one of our helpful and friendly team. They are always on hand to answer any questions you may have and provide honest and impartial advice.