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Labelling Revision scheduled for 2021 and no new-built fossil-fuel installations allowed after 2030 . This will see gas boilers phased out exactly on time for the 2050 , the EU ’ s neutrality deadline .
Industry is supporting this trend with technology already available in mass production , but also with a clear development path to meet the increasing requirements of the Energy Efficiency Directive and customers ’ expectations in terms of comfort and financial benefits versus traditional gas boilers . To mention just a few products , solutions , services available for up-to-date heat pumps :
Variable speed as standard for single-compressor applications , which represent the majority in residential installations ; in fact , “ why should the unit run at maximum speed even when it is not needed ?”
System design approach for space cooling and heating , domestic hot water , heat recovery ventilation ( HRV ) and energy storage units , to answer the question , “ Why shouldn ’ t the heat generated by one unit be used by another in the same house ?”
Remote connectivity , “ Why should a heat pump not be connected to the cloud for preventive maintenance and constantly compared against other similar units for energy optimisation ?”
Mini-energy grid solutions , “ Can the heat pump talk to and exchange energy with the PV installation , EV charging station and battery storage ?”
As far as the second major contribution from HVAC to climate neutrality is concerned , the refrigerants used , there are still significant great margins . The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , declared that fluorinated greenhouse gases ( F-gas ) accounted for approximately 3 % of overall GHG , expressed in tonnes CO₂ equivalent in the EU in 2017 .
If we consider that according to the EEA ( European Environmental Agency ), HVACR accounts for 63 % of this F-gas ( figure below , taken from a preview of the EEA 2020 report on fluorinated gases by Arno Kaschl , policy officer at EU Commission - Chillventa 2020 ), it is clear how much influence the HVAC / R industry can have on this matter .
European Environmental Agency
Thanks to enforcement of the F-gas Regulation , we have seen a falling impact of F-gases used in HVACR starting in 2017 . Indeed , if we consider their use in terms of absolute values ( image 3 , graph on the left ) and tonnes of CO₂ equivalent ( graph on the right ), we can see not only their decreasing GWP ( global warming potential ), but also an increasing contribution of natural refrigerants such as propane , CO₂ and ammonia .
Figure 3 : Intended applications of EU total supply of fluorinated gases .
Good job then ? “ Yes ”, in terms of absolute value , “ no ” in terms of distribution of the effort . In fact , while low GWP gases and natural gases have now been significantly adopted in the refrigeration industry , driven by specific bans and the F-gas quota system , in HVAC we are not there yet , as the large majority of units are still operating with F-Gas refrigerants and we have limited gas bans .
Even though the following chart is based on 2012 data and not just in the EU , the use of HFCs in HVAC versus Refrigeration in terms of in CO₂ equivalent is evident . HFCs account for about 65 % of F-gases .
European Environmental Agency
Figure 2 : The EEA 2020 report on fluorinated gases .
UNEP 2015
Figure 4 : Global HFC use in terms of in CO₂ equivalent .
If we also consider that the need for AC will increase three-fold by 2050 due to rising temperatures and a growing middle class , it ’ s clear that something can and must be done more specifically in the HVAC area .
From a legislative point of view , the F-gas Regulation review is expected in 2022 , and the EIA ( Energy International Agency ) is urging the inclusion of a ban on HFCs in split-system air conditioners and promoting propane ( R-290 ) as a viable alternative . The EIA
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I February 2021 11