AREA, the European association of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) contractors, fully supports an ambitious transition to alternatives to f-gases. However, AREA members have been voicing concerns regarding the very low level of training on alternative refrigerants among F-gas trained personnel and on the risk of a shortage of contractors trained in the use of low GWP refrigerants for years.
Attracting and retaining qualified personal has been one of the biggest challenges of the sector for many years. Reasons are numerous, ranging from misperceptions to a lack of visibility of the sector and of understanding of its technological edge and societal purpose. At the same time, regular upskilling is necessary to adapt to fast technological developments and to the transition towards alternative refrigerants. Thus, it is key to communicate on the societal purpose and positive sector’s contribution to citizens’ daily life to attract new talents: young people, women and professionals from other sectors, in particular heating installers and plumbers.
Training and certification are required to avoid accidents, injuries and fatalities involving systems with alternative refrigerants which all present safety issues, and many of which are flammable.
Therefore, AREA welcomes the extension of the F-gas certification scheme to alternative refrigerants in the new F-gas Regulation as a necessary complementary addition to the existing F-gas provisions in order to ensure safe, efficient and reliable handling of these refrigerants. This is an important step forward in increasing safety in the RACHP sector, both for the end users and the technicians at work, including those working with alternatives only.
The sufficient competence of the technician is an indispensable risk-mitigating factor, and therefore a precondition for a successful transition from F-gases to alternative low GWP refrigerants. On the matter, the Implementing Act on the certificates for equipment containing F-gases or alternatives published in September is of key importance: The implementing regulation sets out minimum requirements for the certification of persons that perform installation, repair, maintenance, servicing, and decommissioning activities for equipment containing F-gases or their alternatives. The categories of certification defined in this Act provide the clarity needed in order for the Regulation to translate into practices and behavior in line with the European climate ambitions.
In particular, AREA members welcome the new certification structure including five categories.
The vast majority of residential heat pumps sold in the short to medium term will contain either F-gases or hydrocarbons, and heat pumps containing these two types of refrigerants have enough technical similarities in order for them to be placed in the same category (A). People should be able to be qualified for F-gases and flammables only, now and in the future. Otherwise, instead of increasing the number of skilled technicians, the Regulation might have the opposite effect and lead to an even more important lack of workforce in the sector. Refrigeration equipment and heat pumps containing CO2 and ammonia differ too widely from those containing F-gases or hydrocarbons – mainly regarding materials used and operating pressures – and merit their own respective categories. Moreover, the use of ammonia as a refrigerant is a distinctly separate market from the residential heat pump market. The companies, and their technicians, active in the market of ammonia refrigeration, are not the same companies as those working on heat pumps for indoor comfort purposes. Thus, we fully support the creation of two new certificates, B and C, respectively for CO2 and ammonia.
In addition, the possibility of combining any of the certificate types ensures the appropriate flexibility, depending on the required skills needed for the technician activities.
AREA members are confident that this new certification structure will guarantee the adequate level of skills to ensure a safe transition towards alternative refrigerants and call on Member States to swiftly implement the new certification requirements.
The RACHP sector must also already looking further ahead: A new era with a minimum role for F-gases will start from 2030: The phase-out schedule will have reached a point where the use of F-gas will only be possible for maintenance (with mainly reclaimed refrigerants). Consequently, this means that the whole sector must be trained, certified and equipped for a future without F-gas from 2030.
| Ammonia | CO2 | HC (small) | HC (large) | HFOs | |
| Austria | 5% | 20% | 100% | 50% | 100% |
| Croatia | 0% | 1.90% | 1.80% | 1.80% | 38% (MAC technicians included) |
| Czech Republic | 1% | 2-4% | 5% | 2% | 5-10% |
| Denmark | 35% | 60% | 60% | 35% | 100% |
| Estonia | 2% | 30% | 5% | 5% | 10% |
| France | 5% | 20% | 16% | 0.6% | / |
| Greece | 15% | 20% | 45.0% | 15.0% | 50.0% |
| Ireland | 5% | 20% | 10.0% | 2.0% | 10.0% |
| Italy | 2% | 5% | 10.0% | 3.0% | 45.0% |
| Netherlands | 2.5% | 3.6% | 1% | / | |
| Poland | 2% | 2% | 1% | NA | 1% |
| Portugal | 0% | 0% | 4% | 0% | 0% |
| Slovakia | 2% | 26% | 26% | NA | 26% |
| Spain | 90% | 85% | 50% | 90% | 85% |
| Total EU | 12% | 21% | 29% | 19% | 40% |
| Norway | 7.50% | 10% | 15% | 15% | 15% |
| Turkey | 0% | 0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Total non-EU | 4% | 5% | 8% | 8% | 8 |
Number of personal trained on alternative refrigerants needed in the coming years
We could estimate that more than 115 000 technicians will need to be trained in the coming years, based on the product bans and phase down included in the European 0.2% 8 Commission’s proposal for a revision of the F-gas Regulation. Considering that the phase down adopted by the EU Institutions is even more ambitious, we can conclude this number is underestimated.
Estimated number of heat pump installers needed to achieve the European objectives of…
a)… installing at least 10 million additional heat pumps between 2023 and 2027
By extrapolating the estimations provided by the members which participated in the survey at the EU level, we can approximate that 150000 technicians will be needed to achieve the European objectives of installing at least 10 million additional heat pumps between 2023 and 2027.
b) …a total additional deployment of 30 million or more heat pumps by 2030 (as compared to 2020)
By extrapolating the estimations provided by the members which participated in the survey at the EU level, we can approximate that 300000 technicians will be needed to achieve the European objectives of installing a total additional deployment of 30 million or more heat pumps by 2030 (as compared to 2020).
Coen Van de Sande