Now, air conditioning manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric is looking to raise awareness of the issue and highlight all available options for companies in a series of dedicated seminars focusing on the options around R22.

From the start of 2010, it will be illegal for air conditioning installers and service engineers to use virgin R22 refrigerant gas for air conditioning and refrigeration units, which will therefore become increasingly difficult to maintain and in a lot of cases will need immediate replacement if they break down.

"R22 gas is potentially harmful to the ozone so it is being phased out in stages which is good news for the environment but bad news for anyone whose older system decides to break down or fail after the end of this year," explained Richard Cooper, national marketing manager for Mitsubishi Electric.

"People will still be able to get recycled gas for a while, but this needs quite a bit of cleaning before it can be reused and it is likely to become more and more expensive as supplies run short."

In addition to recycled gas, the refrigerant industry has developed a number of ‘drop-in' alternatives which will also be examined during their free seminars, which will be held at Mitsubishi Electric's Hatfield office on 4 and 16 June and 1 and 14 July.