EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story was prepared by Danfoss (www.danfoss.com) and brings readers up to date on developments in Europe concerning HFC refrigerants. Historically changes in Europe involving CFCs and HCFCs eventually reached the United States. And while what happens in Europe concerning HFCs does not automatically reflect what will happen stateside regarding such refrigerants, it would be wise for contractors in the United States and Canada to monitor developments overseas.
On April 14, 2014, the European Union (EU) adopted a regulation that, by 2030, will reduce fluorinated greenhouse gas (F-gas) emissions by 79 percent from today’s levels. The adoption of the F-gas regulation is the result of efforts by industry, policy makers and non-governmental organization (NGO) stakeholders to advance alternatives to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) with high global warming potential (GWP), and is in response to a growing global debate and proposed actions regarding high-GWP refrigerants.