Following the UN Climate Summit, the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) issued a pledge in which the European refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump industry commits to taking concrete, proactive action to facilitate the implementation of the EU F-gas Regulation.
Introduced earlier this year, the EU F-gas Regulation controls the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases throughout the EU, and will reduce emissions of F-gases by two-thirds of current levels by 2030.
EPEE Director General Andrea Voigt, said: “EPEE members are determined to make the EU’s new F-gas rules work and are ready to help the EU and its Member States reach their targets and ensure that Europe remains a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
The commitments focus on two main areas:
1. Education, in terms of raising awareness & promoting the rules, and
2. Supporting a smooth and viable transition towards lower emission technologies.
EPEE’s education commitments include organising regular and tailored events to raise awareness of the new rules, developing specific communication tools to enhance industry’s understanding of its new obligations, and increasing cooperation with installers, owners, and schools to ensure all parts of the chain understand their responsibilities.
It will also set up a Low Emissions Task Force to examine how to overcome barriers that prevent the uptake of low emissions technologies, as well as monitor the effectiveness of the EU F-gas Regulation and raise global awareness.
“EPEE supports the new EU rules and is calling for global action to tackle and reduce HFC consumption in a way that is economically viable, compatible with high safety standards, and has energy efficiency at its heart,” concluded Ms Voigt.
“We believe our pledge has the dual purpose of acting as a catalyst for action at the global level and ensuring that the EU F-gas Regulation is properly implemented and monitored.”