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Climate Action
News article16 November 2017Directorate-General for Climate Action

European Commission promotes work on safety standards for a wider use of climate friendly refrigerants

European Commission requests the European Standards Organisations to assess the relevant safety standards for the use of flammable refrigerants.

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European Commission requests the European Standards Organisations to assess the relevant safety standards for the use of flammable refrigerants.

A report by the European Commission has concluded that current standards regulating the use of flammable refrigerants present a significant barrier to the adoption of climate friendly alternatives to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful greenhouse gases mainly used in refrigeration and air-conditioning applications. Increased use of replacement refrigerants is essential to meeting the EU reduction targets for HFCs[1].

As some alternative refrigerants are highly flammable, a review of current standards is required in order to facilitate the transition without compromising safety. The Commission has therefore requested the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and the European Committee for Electro-technical Standardisation (CENELEC) to conduct comprehensive assessments of existing EU standards on refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment. The Commission also requested assessments of ongoing work on safety standards at the international level and in non-EU countries. The results of these assessments will allow additional technical specifications for the installation and operation of climate friendly flammable alternatives to be developed where necessary.

Read more:

[1] Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 on fluorinated greenhouse gases

Details

Publication date
16 November 2017
Author
Directorate-General for Climate Action