2023-05-16 16:31:13
The new EU austerity is here. Now air conditioning equipment has been put on the table of EU decision-makers. If they vote to tighten the gas used in them, 8 out of 10 will have to be scrapped.
Another EU squeeze may arrive, this time on air conditioners. In the name of the Green Deal, the European Union has announced that fluorinated hydrocarbons, known as F-gas, may soon be banned in order to reduce the greenhouse effect. The decision not only endangers air conditioners, but also various heat pumps, as well as stationary and mobile refrigeration systems in supermarkets.
These devices can now be found everywhere, from private homes to offices to hospitals. A separate industry was built on it, which deals with the maintenance and repair of equipment. If the EU votes to ban gas in pursuit of a green transition, it would deal a huge blow to this sector.
The goal is one: climate neutrality must be achieved by 2050. On March 30 last year, the idea was given the green light by the European Parliament, but negotiations have not yet concluded and there may still be room for maneuver.
Of course, due to the seriousness of the situation and the problems affecting citizens and companies, several countries were against stopping the use of these gases. Air conditioning equipment is used more and more not only for cooling, but also for heating. The various professional associations have expressed their deep disapproval and concern, and have spoken of bans that do not at all take into account the different ways the devices are used.
In the meantime, the Italian organization Confindustria drew attention to the fact that in the RePowerEU model, they plan to phase out gas boilers and replace them with air conditioning equipment and heat pumps. If the gases used in the latter devices are also banned, what will people use for heating? According to the organization, the EU’s green policy is becoming more and more worrisome.
In the meantime, it is Italian newspaper Il Messaggero wrotethat if F-gas is banned, 80 percent of the air conditioners currently in use would have to be replaced.
According to Dutch Green MP Bas Eickhout, these are the substance “a little-known but very powerful greenhouse gas that accounts for about 2.5 percent of EU emissions and has a major impact on the climate. In most cases, natural alternatives are readily available”. For example, Germany has initiated a subsidy system for air conditioners that use natural refrigerants.
“But these are substitutes unknown in Southern Europe and could not be used everywhere” – warned Gabriele Di Prenda, head of Daikin in Italy and F-gas expert: “Flammable and explosive substances such as propane are now prohibited in places such as hospitals, hotels and movie theaters. How are we going to cool these rooms?”.
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