Policy Updates

<p>With a new Policy Officer in charge since January 2017, a first informal meeting on reactivating the review of the EU Fan Regulation 327/2011 has taken place. Within the Commission’s tentative schedule, the aim is to have an Impact Assessment that will support the revised Regulation by the end of the year. The Eurovent Association is actively following the developments and participates in all relevant meetings at the Commission level.</p>

<p>The European Commission has published new energy statistical datasheets, which show the evolution of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of European Union Member States between the years 1990 and 2015. The Eurovent Team has assessed the results for members.</p>

<p>The European Union published titles and references of transitional methods of measurement and calculation for air heating and cooling products, high temperature process chillers and fan coil units. These methods have been circulated as a Commission communication in the Official Journal of the European Union.</p>

<p>On 17 July 2017, the European Council has adopted a decision to, on behalf of the European Union, conclude the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol – ensuring the protection of climate from powerful greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). With this decision, the European Union is ready for formal ratification, and has signalled its continued determination to lead global efforts to tackle climate change. What is the implementation timeline and how do future steps look like?</p>

<p>In cooperation with Orgalime, the Eurovent Team regularly provides you with an in-depth overview on all European legislative developments of relevance for the HVACR sector. The Bulletin provides for a hands-on compendium allowing the industry to assess the status quo and expected future developments. In this article, our Team has summarised the key takeaways for members only.</p>

<p>Since 2008, EIA’s Chilling Facts has been documenting the growing uptake of natural refrigerants among some of the world’s leading retailers, reflecting a market shift towards a more climate-friendly refrigeration in the supermarket sector. Twenty-two (large, but also small) retailers have participated in this 2017 report by submitting data covering the 2015 calendar year from supermarkets across 37 countries. This report assesses the impact of the F-Gas Regulation, the trends in HFC and natural refrigerants usage, and the energy efficiency of HFC-free systems. Within this article, the Eurovent Team has summarised key takeaways for members.</p>

<p>Debate.Comfort.Construction.Energy 2017 (DKBE) is going to be a unique event merging experience and knowledge of various experts from the building industry in the unique setting of Warsaw’s national stadium. The conference will address a wide range of topics including Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ), principles of the building mechanical system design, and the impact of user behaviour on overall building energy consumption. The Eurovent Association is supporting and contributing to this forward-thinking conference.</p>

<p>Following requests by many of you, this article provides for an official guideline on the Eurovent Association’s member logos, which can be made use of by national member associations, Affiliated Manufacturers, Corresponding Members, and Associate Members. By no means, these logos can be used in relation with a specific product to give the impression being a holder of the ‘Eurovent Certified Performance’ mark. To ensure this, the logos have received an updated design containing the term ‘association’.</p>

<p>The ongoing global effort to phase down the use of high-GWP potential refrigerants requires an effective, and evidence-based research on the on the A2L refrigerants which have been identified as potential replacement for refrigerants currently used in HVAC and refrigeration systems. In June 2017, AHRI has published its report ‘Benchmarking Risk by Whole Room Scale Leaks and Ignitions Testing of A2L Refrigerants’. Within this 365-page report, AHRI has assessed several A2L refrigerants. The report would be instrumental in updating the relevant national codes and safety standards so that appropriate, climate-friendly alternatives can be safely used in air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.</p>

<p>The Bundesrat of Germany (Federal Council) voted, on 2 June, on a new national regulation on evaporative cooling systems, cooling towers and wet separation systems. It will soon be published in Germany’s Federal Law Gazette and is to come into force four weeks later. Operators of cooling towers then receive one year time to notify national authorities on existing plants and to fulfil three major obligations.</p>

<p>For the third year in a row, the Eurovent Association, in cooperation with Eurovent Middle East, is ‘Supporting Association’ for the HVACR Expo Saudi (14-16 January 2018, Jeddah). To further strengthen the presence of our members in Saudi Arabia, we are offering a wide-ranging programme in the course of the exhibition, including, for the first time, a dedicated Eurovent Pavillion.</p>

<p>The EEPLIANT project ran from 2015 and ended on 20 June 2017. Responsible national and regional authority bodies cooperated towards enforcement action in respect of non-compliant products. The following product groups were assessed: LED lamps, imaging equipment, space heaters and combination heater. The outcome of the project regarding space heaters including heat pumps are discussed within this article together with some previous projects.</p>