The UK Government is being urged to consider close regulatory alignment with the EU’s recently introduced F-Gas Regulation reforms in recommendations for a Seventh Carbon Budget.
A new report from the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) has set out projections for a ‘balanced pathway’ for the period between 2038 to 2042 in order to limit emissions to 535 million tonnes of CO2e.
The CCC is the body that offers independent scrutiny and advice to the government and its environmental commitments, with the latest proposals intended to inform commitments for financing decarbonisation plans and policy.
Some of the core conclusions include outlining plans for the future of national legislation intended to drive the HVACR sector towards moving to lower-GWP refrigerants in a range of cooling and heating equipment.
UK authorities are presently in the process of reviewing current f-gas legislation that was passed into domestic law as part of the Brexit Withdrawal process. The EU last year opted to amend existing targets for market quotas on the allowance of certain gases on the market in a bid to encourage a move to alternative products such as lower GWP products classed as natural refrigerants.
The UK is now set to launch its own consultation to engage with industry on how the UK should choose to implement its own legislative changes. This could include looking at areas where the country might deviate from the existing EU requirements. Some sections of the industry have argued that the UK could pursue a wider ranging overhaul of legislation that looks at broader issues of competency in the use in a range of different refrigerants.
At present, the legislation applies only to fluorinated refrigerants with the aim to limit the direct emissions of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from potential leaks.
With the UK government yet to set out its plans for domestic f-gas reforms, the CCC said it recommendations for the 7th Carbon Budget will rely on ensuring a clear legal framework to encourage industry innovation and the ability to effectively decarbonise refrigerant use.
The CCC stated: “Regulation would provide the necessary incentives for research and development into lower-GWP alternative products. It would provide UK supply chains with the certainty they need to train and grow their workforces.”
“The Government should consider the case for regulatory alignment with the EU, which would reduce costs since many of the products and equipment involved are imported from the EU. It will be important to ensure that any new regulation allows enough time for the sector to prepare for any changes.”
The CCC said that f-gases were currently classed as the 11th highest emitter of UK greenhouse gas emissions. This amounted to 2% of national carbon emissions in 2022, which measured 7.6 MtCO2e.
Under the proposals outlined for the planned 7th Carbon Budget, f-gas emissions would be required to fall by 73% of a 2022 baseline.
After the cuts, the sector would remain the 11th sector emitter – accounting for 2% of emissions.
If the CCC proposals are implemented and able to be delivered on, the watchdog predicted that f-gas emissions would be largely eliminated as a result of moving to alternative refrigerants in refrigeration equipment. The report noted that some residual emissions were expected to remain from certain emitters, such as industrial process.
The CCC noted that regulation was a vital driver for meeting this changes and its balanced pathway proposals to cut down emissions from refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems.
The report said: “The gases used in this equipment will be different, but the way we use it will not significantly change. The 2024 EU regulations is an example of the regulatory standards that the UK will need to achieve.”
