Britain's heat pump rollout is under pressure as the EU considers a stricter crackdown on F-gas use.
F-gases include hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs), which is used as a refrigerant in heat pumps. It is also highly polluting to the atmosphere.
Existing EU legislation aims to cut F-gas usage to a third of the amount used in 2015 by 2030.
But the EU is reviewing this legislation, in favour of reducing this amount further in a bid to combat global warming. This could be as early as 2025.
We look at why if this were to go ahead in such a tight timeframe, this would be a problem for heat pump manufacturers and the UK's heat pump rollout.
What is HFC gas and why do heat pumps need it?
So how do heat pumps work? In very basic terms, heat pumps work like refrigerators but in reverse. That means, like refrigerators, heat pumps need refrigerants for the heat exchange process. Propane was used early on as a refrigerant but due to it being highly flammable, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases were far more preferable for use instead.
Unfortunately, despite being safer than propane gas, HFC gas is a fluorinated greenhouse gas (F-gas). F-gases are estimated to be hundreds of times more damaging than CO2. Just how damaging varies depending on the type of F gas.
A common HFC used in heat pumps in the UK is R410a, which has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 2088. Some have already switched to R32 (675GWP) and developments are being made in using CO2 as a refrigerant instead of HFCs too.
The solution so far has been to recycle HFC gases by cleaning them and reselling them but this isn't perfect as some of the gas can escape into the atmosphere during this process. HFC gases can escape into the atmosphere from leaks in heat pumps too, hence why HFC gases are sometimes needed when servicing the equipment.
Why might there be a shortage of HFC gases?
The EU is discussing a change in the quota of HFC gases allowed to be used by industries in the next few years in its own bid to tackle global warming.
Originally, the EU quota was due to drop to a third of HFC use in 2015 by 2024. And by 2030 this quota was to be 20% of 2015 levels.
But the EU is talking about revising this figure to slash the quota to only 5% of 2015's HFC use by either 2025 or 2030.
A decision on this is expected to be announced late next year, with the quotas being in place from 2024.
Also, this year's long hot summer with several heatwaves across Europe, is likely to result in increased demand for air conditioning units. These also use HFCs, which puts even more pressure on supplies.
How could this impact the UK's heat pump rollout?
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is committed to a 600,000 per year heat pump rollout in the UK by 2028.
Several factors have already thrown that figure into doubt, including a shortage of qualified installers as well as poor uptake of the Government's £450million boiler upgrade scheme.
But if there is a shortage of refrigerants this could drive up the price and put pressure on manufacturers.
Graham Wright, former chairman of the Heat Pump Association, explained the situation to Homebuilding & Renovating in more detail.
He said the main worry is if EU officials chose a timescale of 2025 for their stricter HFC gas quota. This would not give heat pump manufacturers enough time to adopt new refrigerants in their systems.
"It isn't straight forward to swap out a gas with a different refrigerant," he said. "The heat pump industry is renowned for being innovative but it still takes time. There's a balance that needs to take place."
However, he said he believes it is unlikely the EU would force such strict timescales on manufactures and is more likely to opt for the later 2030 date.
Realistically, heat pump manufacturers need between five and seven years to adopt far lower polluting refrigerants, he added.
Will the UK follow EU quotas on refrigerants?
Previously, the UK has said it would incorporate the EU's F gas legislation into its laws. However, this was before EU discussions about significantly reducing the quota of refrigerants started to take place.
While climate campaigners have urged the UK to follow the EU's quotas, the UK is likely to develop its own.
Graham Wright, former chairman of the Heat Pump Association, said there are already discussions in place for creating the UK's own F gas quotas, which would be separate to the EU's regulation.
Currently the quota is not set in stone, but is loosely agreed in the UK to be 11% of the HFC use in 2015.
The aim, he adds, is to get heat pump manufacturers eventually using refrigerants with only 150 Global Warming Potential (GWP), or under. There is currently no target date that has been set for that in the UK but it will be agreed in the future.
There are global suppliers of the UK's refrigerants, so aside from EU legislation pushing up the price, the UK could feasibly adopt its own refrigerant regulations.
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Amy spent over a decade in London editing and writing for The Daily Telegraph, MailOnline, and Metro.co.uk before moving to East Anglia where she began renovating a period property in rural Suffolk. During this time she also did some TV work at ITV Anglia and CBS as well as freelancing for Yahoo, AOL, ESPN and The Mirror. When the pandemic hit she switched to full-time building work on her renovation and spent nearly two years focusing solely on that. She's taken a hands-on DIY approach to the project, knocking down walls, restoring oak beams and laying slabs with the help of family members to save costs. She has largely focused on using natural materials, such as limestone, oak and sisal carpet, to put character back into the property that was largely removed during the eighties. The project has extended into the garden too, with the cottage's exterior completely re-landscaped with a digger and a new driveway added. She has dealt with de-listing a property as well as handling land disputes and conveyancing administration.
Uendeshaji wa pampu ya joto ya Uingereza unashikiliwa na EU kwa sababu ya matumizi ya gesi ya F F-gesi ni pamoja na hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs), ambayo ni kutumika kama refrigerant katika pampu joto. Pia huchafua sana angahewa. Sheria ya EU inakusudia kupunguza matumizi ya gesi ya F hadi theluthi moja ya kiasi kilichotumiwa mnamo 2015. Lakini EU inarekodi sheria hii, kwa niaba ya kupunguza kiasi hiki zaidi katika juhudi za kupambana na ongezeko la joto duniani. Hii inaweza kuwa mapema kama 2025. Kwa nini hii inaweza kuwa ngumu kwa wazalishaji wa pampu za joto na kuanzisha pampu za joto za Uingereza? Ni nini HFC gesi na kwa nini pumzi joto haja yake? Kwa hiyo, pampu za joto hufanyaje kazi? Kwa maneno ya msingi sana, pampu za joto hufanya kazi kama friji lakini kinyume chake. Hiyo ina maana, kama friji, pampu za joto zinahitaji refrigerants kwa mchakato wa kubadilishana joto. Propane ilitumiwa mapema kama baridi lakini kwa sababu ya kuwa yenye kuwaka moto sana, gesi za hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) zilipendekezwa zaidi kwa matumizi badala yake. Kwa bahati mbaya, licha ya kuwa salama kuliko gesi ya propani, gesi ya HFC ni gesi ya chafu ya fluorini (F-gesi). Gesi za F-Gas zinakadiriwa kuwa na madhara ya mara mia moja kuliko CO2. Uharibifu huo hutofautiana kulingana na aina ya gesi ya F. HFCs zinazotumiwa katika pampu za joto ni R410a, ambayo ina uwezo wa joto la dunia (GWP) ya 208. Kwa sasa, R32 (GWP 675) ni moja ya njia za kutengeneza baridi ya joto, na inasaidia kuimarisha matumizi ya CO2 kama baridi badala ya HFCs. Kwa sasa, suluhisho ni kuchakata gesi za HFC kwa kuisafisha na kuuza tena, lakini hii si kamilifu kwani baadhi ya gesi inaweza kutoroka kwenye anga wakati wa mchakato huu. Gesi HFC inaweza kupotea katika anga kutoka kuvuja katika pampu za joto pia, na kwa hiyo kwa nini gesi HFC wakati mwingine zinahitajika wakati wa huduma ya vifaa. Kwa nini huenda kukawa na upungufu wa gesi za HFC? EU inajadili mabadiliko katika kiwango cha gesi ya HFCs inayoruhusiwa kutumiwa na viwanda katika miaka michache ijayo katika juhudi zake za kukabiliana na ongezeko la joto duniani. Kwa mujibu wa mpango huo, kiwango cha EU cha kutengeneza HFCs kitapungua kwa asilimia moja hadi tatu ya matumizi ya HFCs kwa mwaka 2024. Kufikia mwaka 2030 kiwango hicho kitakuwa 20% ya kiwango cha mwaka 2015. EU inazingatia kupunguza kiwango cha HFCs kwa asilimia 5 ya matumizi ya HFCs ya 2015 hadi 2025 Uamuzi kuhusu hilo unatarajiwa kutangazwa mwishoni mwa mwaka ujao, na viwango hivyo vitakuwa vimewekwa kuanzia 2024. Pia, majira ya joto ya mwaka huu na mawimbi kadhaa ya joto kote Ulaya, ni uwezekano wa kusababisha kuongezeka kwa mahitaji ya vitengo vya hali ya hewa. Hizi pia hutumia HFCs, ambayo huweka shinikizo zaidi juu ya ugavi. Je, hii inaweza kuwa na athari kwa UK joto pampu roll-out? Idara ya Mazingira, Chakula na Masuala ya Vijijini (DFA) imeweka lengo la kuanzisha bomba la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto la joto. "Wakati huo huo, ""vitu kadhaa vimefanya takwimu hiyo kuwa ya kutiliwa shaka, ikiwa ni pamoja na upungufu wa wawekaji wenye sifa na pia upatikanaji duni wa mpango wa serikali wa kuboresha boiler wa £ 450m.""" Lakini kama kuna upungufu wa refrigerants hii inaweza kuendesha juu ya bei na kuweka shinikizo juu ya wazalishaji. Graham Wright, mwenyekiti wa zamani wa Chama cha Pampu za Joto, alielezea hali hiyo kwa Homebuilding & Renovating kwa undani zaidi. "Maafisa wa EU wameongeza kuwa ""watu wengi wana wasiwasi"" kuhusu suala la muda wa 2025 kwa ajili ya kiwango chao cha gesi ya HFC." Hii haingetoa wazalishaji wa pampu za joto muda wa kutosha kupitisha baridi mpya katika mifumo yao. "Si jambo la moja kwa moja kubadilisha gesi na baridi tofauti", akasema. "Sehemu ya pampu ya joto inajulikana kwa kuwa ya ubunifu lakini bado inachukua muda. Kuna usawaziko ambao unahitaji kufanywa". Hata hivyo, amesema ni vigumu kwa Umoja wa Ulaya kulazimisha muda mrefu kama huo kwa viwanda na ni uwezekano mkubwa zaidi wa kuchagua tarehe ya baadaye ya 2030. Kwa kweli, watengenezaji wa pampu za joto wanahitaji kati ya miaka mitano na saba kupitisha baridi zenye uchafuzi mdogo, aliongeza. Je, Uingereza itafuata viwango vya EU juu ya baridi? Uingereza imesema kuwa itachukua sheria za EU za gesi za F katika sheria zake. Hata hivyo, hii ilikuwa kabla ya majadiliano ya EU kuhusu kupunguza kwa kiasi kikubwa kiasi cha refrigerants kuanza kutokea. Wakati wanaharakati wa hali ya hewa wamehimiza Uingereza kufuata viwango vya EU, Uingereza ina uwezekano wa kuendeleza yake mwenyewe. Graham Wright, mwenyekiti wa zamani wa Chama cha Pampu za Joto, alisema kuwa tayari kuna majadiliano ya kuunda viwango vya gesi ya F ya Uingereza, ambayo itakuwa tofauti na kanuni ya EU. Kwa sasa, kiwango hicho hakijapangwa, lakini kimekubaliwa kwa kiasi kikubwa nchini Uingereza kuwa 11% ya matumizi ya HFCs mnamo 2015. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Mfumo wa joto wa bomba la joto ni moja ya njia bora za kupunguza joto la dunia, na kwa hivyo inasaidia kuimarisha uwezo wa joto wa ulimwengu wa 150 (GWP) au chini.""" Kwa sasa hakuna tarehe ya lengo iliyowekwa kwa hilo nchini Uingereza lakini itakubaliwa katika siku zijazo. Kwa sababu ya kuwa na vifaa vya baridi vya kimataifa, Uingereza inaweza kuchukua hatua za kisheria za kupunguza gharama za vifaa vya baridi. Kupata Homebuilding & Renovation Newsletter: Kuleta ndoto yako nyumbani kwa maisha na ushauri wa wataalamu, jinsi ya kuongoza na kubuni msukumo. Kujiandikisha kwa jarida letu la habari na kupata tiketi mbili za bure kwa National Homebuilding & Renovation Show (Mchi 21-24, NEC, Birmingham). Amy alitumia zaidi ya miaka kumi huko London kuhariri na kuandika kwa Daily Telegraph, MailOnline, na Metro.co.uk kabla ya kuhamia East Anglia ambapo alianza kurekebisha mali ya kipindi katika vijijini Suffolk. Wakati huo huo, alifanya kazi ya televisheni katika ITV Anglia na CBS, na pia alifanya kazi ya kujitegemea kwa Yahoo, AOL, ESPN na The Mirror. Wakati janga hilo lilipotokea, alibadilisha kazi yake ya ujenzi na kutumia miaka miwili tu kuelekeza fikira zake kwenye kazi hiyo. Alichukua mbinu ya DIY ya mradi huo, akivunja kuta, kurudisha mihimili ya mwaloni na kuweka mabamba kwa msaada wa wanafamilia ili kuokoa gharama. Kwa hivyo, kwa sababu ya matumizi yake ya vifaa vya asili, kama vile chokaa, mwaloni na zulia, imeweka tabia tena katika mali ambayo iliondolewa kwa kiasi kikubwa wakati wa miaka ya 80. Mradi huo umeenea katika bustani pia, na nje ya nyumba hiyo imebadilishwa kabisa na mchimbaji na barabara mpya iliyoongezwa. Amehusika na kuondoa orodha ya mali pamoja na kushughulikia mabishano ya ardhi na usimamizi wa uhamisho.