Representing our members in Parliament

Thursday, December 7, 2017

As the market leading F gas certification body and administrators of the UK’s largest F gas register REFCOM are passionate not just about offering the best service to our members, but in shaping the future of the air conditioning, F gas and HVAC industry.

We are here to represent not just our members but ensure that the industry as a whole can cope with the demands of an increasingly tough phase down of high GWP gases and assist Government in meeting its overall emission reduction targets.

Recently, on behalf of REFCOM, Graeme Fox was invited to speak in Parliament at the Environmental Audit Committee to discuss F gases, in particular the current F gas regulation system and the implications of Brexit.

Points raised and discussed included:

  • Strengthening enforcement and closing off some of the loopholes left from the 2015 review process. REFCOM was asked to furnish the Committee with further evidence of instances of non-compliance that the enforcing bodies have found difficult to penalise to date.
  • Unregulated sales of high and medium GWP gases – which has long been a bone of contention with the RACHP sector, and increasingly so as the price of gas has risen so sharply this year.
  • Implications on the sector of Brexit and how best to operate and regulate the sector after the UK has left the EU.
  • The need for upskilling the workforce to prepare for using flammable gases.

REFCOM welcomed the opportunity to raise these issues in Parliament and look forward to seeing some real progress on the enforcement and compliance issues to further boost professionalism within the sector.

Joining Graeme on the panel of witnesses was: Martyn Cooper, Commercial Manager, Federation of Environmental Trade Associations, Mr Mike Nankivell, Chairman of the F-gas Implementation Group, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board, and Clare Perry, Climate Campaign Leader, Environmental Investigation Agency.