Commercial Refrigeration Legislation
Globally, professional refrigeration is now a highly regulated industry after the refrigerant gasses traditionally used for commercial cooling were identified as a significant contributor towards global warming, and also as products with a high potential
Refrigeration products in your business may be operating on environmentally unfriendly refrigerant gasses, which if leaked (a common occurrence during service work or wear & tear over time) can be very harmful to the environment, so much so, that many gasses traditional used in commercial cooling and heating have now been banned from sale in new equipment under the F-Gas Regulation.
Older products are also likely much less energy efficient than modern equivalents, with a legal mandate in recent years to reduce the amount of electricity used by commercial refrigeration equipment. In Europe and the UK specifically, many forms of professional cooling equipment fall under the Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC) and Energy Labelling Regulation (EU) 2017/1369), governmental mechanisms for ensuring minimum energy performance and incremental product efficiency improvement.
“If we are to succeed in averting the climate emergency, all businesses, large and small, must do their bit.”
F-Gas Regulation
The F-Gas Regulation aims to reduce Global Warming emissions caused by refrigerants typically found in heating and cooling applications, including commercial refrigeration equipment. It mandates a schedule of gradual phasedowns and outright bans over an agreed time period, to reduce the consumption of, and change the way in which the industry is allowed to use, these environmentally unfriendly gasses.
In effect since 2015, the eventual goal is a reduction in the use of HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) of 79% by 2030, encouraging equipment manufacturers, service companies and operators to adopt technologies operating on refrigerants with significantly lower Global Warming Potential (GWP).
Big changes came into effect on January 1, 2020, banning the sale of new commercial refrigeration equipment operating on R404A refrigerant, the most widely used gas in commercial cooling at the time, due to its very high GWP.
The next big date for F-Gas was January 1, 2022, when sales of new coolers using R134a was similarly banned.
These mandates mean that only equipment operating on environmentally friendly refrigerant gasses (such as hydrocarbons) should be on the market today, however consumer vigilance is still required. Depending on the componentry of the product, there can still be significant differences in the amount of electricity consumed by two similar looking cabinets.
Energy Labelling Regulation
Since 2016, some commercial cooling equipment categorised as ‘Professional Refrigerated Storage Cabinets’ have also been required to have labels, allowing operators to more easily benchmark and compare running costs of similar products on a like-for-like basis. From March 1, 2021, the Energy Labelling Regulation was extended to also require labels on glass door and “doorless” multideck coolers (i.e. ‘Fridges and Freezers with Sales Function’), with different requirements depending on if the cabinet is holding food goods or just beverages.
Shorten Supply Chains
Reduce Food & Packaging Waste
Offer Vegetarian & Vegan Options
Reduce Energy Consumption
Energy Labelling Regulation
Consumers will be familiar with the “Letter grade” labelling found on many electronic products sold throughout Europe, including washing machines, domestic refrigerators, lighting and televisions.
Since 2016, some commercial cooling equipment categorised as ‘Professional Refrigerated Storage Cabinets’ have also been required to have labels, allowing operators to more easily benchmark and compare running costs of similar products on a like-for-like basis. From March 1, 2021, the Energy Labelling Regulation was extended to also require labels on glass door and “doorless” multideck coolers (i.e. ‘Fridges and Freezers with Sales Function’), with different requirements depending on if the cabinet is holding food goods or just beverages.
Our Energy and Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator for Commercial Refrigeration can help you compare operating costs and the environmental impact of available products.
