Andrew Gaved

Industry sources in the United Kingdom have raised concern over so-called “easy install” air conditioning units containing HFCs, which are being marketed at non-refrigeration engineers, despite F-gas concerns.

Under the new F-Gas Regulation, precharged units will not be legal unless their seller has company certification.

The new F-gas legislation will see increased emphasis on company certification, according to the offenses consultation document published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).

This has led to calls from refrigeration contractors for increased scrutiny of “easy-install” air conditioning units aimed at non-refrigeration engineers.

The regulation’s list of offenses has a number relating to manufacturers and importers of pre-charged equipment, including having the correct documentation.

From January 2017, placing equipment charged with HFCs on the market will be an offense unless it is within quota limits.

Also, from January 2018, it will be an offense for importers to fail to ensure that accuracy of documentation is verified by an independent auditor by March 31 each year.

Also, all importers of pre-charged equipment are required to have company F-gas certification.

One installer said, “These units are being marketed at electricians rather than refrigeration engineers, which is a problem in itself, but at the same time, they could be illegal, if the importer does not have a company certificate.”

Content for the European Spotlight is provided courtesy of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Magazine, London. For more information, visit www.racplus.com.

Publication date: 1/19/2015