Refrigerant gases for refrigeration prohibited in 2020
For refrigerant gases used in refrigeration, the “F-gas” Regulation (EU) 517/2014, on fluorinated greenhouse gases established certain prohibitions on the use and placing on the market of such gases as of 1 January 2020. Firstly, direct quote:
Article 13 “Control of use”
- “From 1 January 2020, the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases, with a global warming potential of 2,500 or more, to service or maintain refrigeration equipment with a charge size of 40 tonnes of CO2 equivalent [CO2] or more, shall be prohibited”.
Exceptions: military equipment and equipment designed to cool products to temperatures below -50°C.
ANNEX III “Placing on the market prohibitions from 1 January 2020”
- “Refrigerators and freezers for commercial use (hermetically sealed equipment) that contain HFCs with GWP of 2,500 or more”.
- “Stationary refrigeration equipment, that contains, or the functioning of which relies upon HFCs with GWP of 2,500. Except equipment intended for application designed to cool down products to temperatures above -50°C”.
Exceptions: military equipment.
As you can see, all prohibitions for refrigerant gases, applicable from 1 January 2020, affect fluorinated refrigerants whose GWP is higher than 2,500, which are given below:
