Waiting for the final decision of the Council presidency and the European Parliament, APPLiA Europe has commented the proposed phase-out of F-gas refrigerants for some applications. «The ban – the Association explains – will significantly limit the number of heat pumps available in certain market segments, pushing consumers back to fossil fuels with severe consequences for health and the planet. The proposed regulation seeks to eliminate the use of certain gases with global warming potential (GWP) above a certain threshold (>10). While the environmental purpose is clear, trade-offs need to be considered to ensure an effective balance also in view of the 2040 climate targets currently under discussion in Brussels».
APPLiA also added that «the biggest cuts are foreseen, in some cases, as early as 2027. This does not only clash with the EU’s climate ambitions, but also with the flagship REPowerEU plan which calls for the deployment of 60 million new heat pumps by 2030. Considered of critical importance for climate-neutral heating, heat pumps are also one of the net-zero technologies that will be instrumental to ramp up European production capacities for renewable energy technologies, according to the Net-Zero Industry Act presented by the European Commission earlier this year».
The proposed ban will create a critical situation for many industries, that will be oblidged to sudden shift to natural refrigerants, for almost 30 thousand different models of equipment already present on the European market. As APPLiA environment policy manager Naomi Mar unselined, this operation involves «the adaptation of production processes, but also the training of installers, as well as considerations on the safety and overall energy efficiency of these solutions, with an impact on the affordability of products. It is also in clear contradiction with the RePowerEU heat pump deployment targets».
