Interview with Fred Bush (General Manager of EPEE)

The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) is a broad-based grouping of responsible companies, national associations and European associations active in the European air-conditioning, heat pump and refrigeration industry. It was formed in September 2000 to contribute to the development of effective European policies to reduce green-house gas emissions from the use of refrigerants.

1- What's your opinion on the F-gas legislation? How do you think the HVAC market will react to these new rules? Are manufacturers prepared and well informed?

EPEE firmly believes that with the F-gas Regulation, the EU has made a significant contribution to the fight against climate change and has sent a strong signal in support of a containment regime to reduce emissions of fluorinated gases across Europe. The Regulation establishes a high level of environmental protection as well as an internal market for equipment containing fluorinated gases and the personnel involved in installing and servicing it.

It is in EPEE’s highest interest to demonstrate that with this Regulation we can achieve real emission reductions in the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector in the coming years. Looking to full compliance with the Regulation, EPEE and its members will cover all aspects of the Regulation, including inter alia containment, recycling, recovery of F-gases and training and certification.

In order to prepare and inform manufacturers as well as users of F-Gases, EPEE produced a Frequently Asked Questions document on the EU F-gas Regulation. The FAQ will help the Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration industry (HVACR) to implement the Regulation in an efficient, smooth and transparent manner. This basic tool covers general aspects of the Regulation as well as industry obligations and possible penalties.

Our members, which include national associations in the HVACR industry, are also ensuring that both F-gas manufacturers and users are fully prepared for the forthcoming entry into force of the key requirements in July 2007.

2- What in your opinion should each European country do to prepare the market for this new legislation?

3- What are EPEE's objectives and main activities?

The central mission of EPEE is to contribute to the development of effective European policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the use of refrigerants.

In that context EPEE participated in an early stage in the European regulatory and legislative decision-making process and promotes an understanding of the environmental and societal benefits of HFCs as refrigerants.

In the short period of its existence, EPEE has already established itself as the industry's voice on both EU and national levels to promote the continued availability of HFCs as the only viable solution for the mass market for the foreseeable future, although EPEE acknowledges that other alternatives are viable for certain applications.

4- In terms of refrigerants, what are the best alternatives to CFCs?

The perfect refrigerant does not exist. EPEE believes that HFCs, hydrocarbons, ammonia water and CO2 are all viable refrigerants, but that HFCs can be considered as the best alternatives to CFCs/ HCFCs for most applications.

HFCs replaced CFCs/ HCFCs for the reason that they are non-ozone depleting, have low toxicity levels and are for the most part non-flammable. Due to their relatively high global warming potential (GWP), HFCs are often unfairly criticised for their environmental impact; even if people tend to forget that their GWP is much lower than the one of CFCs/ HCFCs.

However, HFCs enable the use of energy-efficient applications, offering significant environmental benefits as compared to the existing alternatives. On average, more than 80% of the greenhouse gases used by refrigeration equipment come from indirect emissions, i.e. the energy used to enable the application to function. The improved energy efficiency resulting from HFCs use thus largely counterbalances their global warming potential.

HFCs also offer significant assets in terms of safety, as their stability and low toxicity make them suitable for use in a wide range of applications. Other refrigerants are available but they have specific characteristics that constrain their use, such as ammonia which is highly toxic and can be used in large out-of-town cold stores, or hydrocarbons which are very flammable and should be used only in small amounts.

As EPEE, we strive to ensure that energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, health and safety impacts are fully taken into account in the debate on refrigerants.

5- How is the cooperation between EPEE and its members? Are they increasing to include other companies outside Europe? What are the advantages of being an EPEE member?

As EPEE is an industry coalition, EPEE can only progress and achieve its mission by close and transparent cooperation with its members. For this reason, EPEE has always been keen in working together with its members, which provide direct input to the actions the partnership undertakes on the Brussels scene. 

EPEE is a European federation because its focus is on EU policies. Various foreign companies are members of EPEE because of the benefits of the membership regarding EPEE’s activities in Europe.

However, EPEE understands that the environmental and energy issues must always be placed in a global perspective. That is why, for instance, ARI (the US Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute), and JRAIA (the Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association) are members of EPEE.

Being a part of EPEE can benefit members in several ways. Companies are informed of threats and opportunities which will impact their bottom line interests, and most importantly, are given the power to react and influence policies by belonging to a credible and recognised federation.

6- How do you see the future of the HVAC market concerning energy and environment?

Both at the EU level, in the Member States, and on the world stage, climate change is now topping decision-makers’ agendas. These developments will step up pressure on the HVACR industry, which will be put under heavy scrutiny.

However, this political pressure also constitutes an opportunity for this industry to communicate more broadly and pro-actively and to demonstrate that the existing requirements (e.g. the F-gas Regulation) are efficient in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  It will also be necessary for the HVACR industry to work more closely with NGOs regarding scientific progress and consumer acceptance. EPEE believes that a point of collaboration could lie in the energy efficiency debate, as about 80% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the indirect emissions of refrigeration appliances, regardless of the refrigerant used. Depending on the application, HFCs are thus more environmentally-friendly than their alternatives, a point which is sometimes ignored by stakeholders.

The solution is indeed to work together with different stakeholders to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the use of refrigerants. EPEE is ready to take that challenge forward.

7- What are EPEE's objectives and projects for 2007?

EPEE’s first objective for this year is to demonstrate that the F-gases Regulation, adopted last year, is a success, by ensuring that the industry puts its requirements into practice efficiently. EPEE wants to take a leading role in the implementation of the Regulation and help its members to implement the Regulation.

In the meantime, EPEE will ensure that HFCs may be used in the widest range of applications possible, as long as no serious, reliable, and complete evidence shows that cleaner alternatives exist for specific products. Hence, EPEE is ready to oppose any unfair attacks against HFCs by gathering the latest scientific evidence on refrigerants and their use.

EPEE will also continue to promote energy efficiency in air conditioning and refrigeration, and communicate more broadly on the fact that HFCs allow the use of energy-efficient and low-emission applications.

Last but not least, EPEE is busy planning ahead for the review of the Regulation on F-gases, foreseen for 2011. EPEE is aware that the Regulation is not set in stone and thus will be in contact with EU decision-makers to ensure that the revision safeguards refrigerant choices as part of the solution to enable society to meet the environmental goals of climate change. 

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