Ozone depleleters - R22 Phase Out

R22 Phase out and Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)  regulations

Regulation EC2037/2000 ( the Ozone Regulation), which came into effect as far back as October 2000, covers the gradual phasing out of ozone depleters (HCFCs) leading to a total ban on the use of these materials in service from the end of 2014. 

The use of these gases in new equipment has been banned since 2002/3 but it is their gradual withdrawal that will be of concern to operators of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.

Whilst the F-Gas regulation requires certain obligations to be met, this regulation will eventually see the use of these substances banned entirely and therefore any system using them,obsolete . This would include systems using an HFC/HCFC blend as the refrigerant and could affect over 100,000 systems in the UK alone. 

The concensus of advice from all quarters is that, if you have not lrady done so, you should plan for the replacement of equipment using these materials as soon as possible.  You may find the R22 Phase Our Guidance Note from the IOR useful and you can download this as a pdf using the link on the right.

However at Comserve we are proactively advising the best way to meet this challenge and you are invited to make use of our considerable expertise in this area to discuss the implications on equipment you control.