Proposals to reduce F-gas emissions are 'overly optimistic and unrealistic'
Speaking at the 20th European RACHP Conference in Milan on June 9, EPEE chief Russell Patten acknowledged that the issue of a ban on hydrofluorocarbons is no longer relevant. “The issue is the pace of transition and the availability of alternatives.”
An independent study by consultant and F-gas expert Ray Gluckman on behalf of EPEE came to different conclusions than the European Commission’s AnaFgas model.
Russell Patten highlighted two key points: “The cuts proposed by the Commission for 2024, 2027, 2030 and 2033 are unrealistic. And with the cuts that the Commission is proposing during this period, there will also be insufficient HFCs for heat pump deployment. not changing the coolant.”
It has also been argued that most of the CO2 emissions avoided by heat pump decarbonization of heating exceed the small amount of HFC emissions from the same heat pumps.
Russell Patten emphasized that it is more important to maximize the rate of heat pump deployment than to force an “unrealistic rate” of refrigerant replacement.