Air conditioning & Refrigeration European Association

AREA

November 2006

Newsletter

Items covered:

- Editorial About EU CERT HP course (UK comments) p.2 - CEN WG “Competence of personnel” and WG “Leakage detection systems” p.3 - Environment - F-gases Latest news p.4 -Technical matters The MINIREF project - news p.4 - Standardisation Work program of CEN TC 182 p.5 - European Commission Ecodesign of EuP website p.7 Energy Efficiency Action Plan p.7 Project of directive on heating and cooling from renewable sources p.9 - European Legislation Implementation of WEEE p.10 - Members States UK : action on EPBD p.11 - Sister associations ASERCOM (Energy Efficiency Award) p.12 EFCTC (illegal imports of ODS) p.14 - Events Polagra Food; succession of press releases from IKK and Chillventa p.15 President : J. JACQUIN - SNEFCCA F - e-mail : contact@snefcca.com Past President : N. MITCHELL - RACG/HVCA UK - e-mail : ncm@normanmitchell.co.uk Vice-President : Ch. SCHOLZ - VDKF D – e-mail : info@vdkf.org Treasurer : J. HOOGKAMER - NVKL NL - e-mail : joh@fme.nl Director : A. ZOLTAN – HKVSZ HU - e-mail : zoltan.attila@hkvsz.hu General Secretary : R. BERCKMANS - AREA - e-mail : robert.berckmans@area-eur.be Beau Site Première avenue, 88 • B -1330 Rixensart • Belgium • Tel : +32 2 6538835 • Fax + 32 2 6523872

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Editorial

Dear Members, By courtesy of our British Member FETA BRA, I received a short report of the building services consultancy organisation BSRIA about the heat pump courses EU CERT HP. The subject is topical as Dr. Brigitte Bach of EHPA (European Heat Pump Association) has kindly accepted to make a presentation in our CQC meeting on 17/11/2006; our CQC will also study ways of cooperating with our sister association. I let you read the report reproduced here below. It shows the differences between the qualifications of a refrigeration craftsman and a construction technician, as our President rightfully likes to remind. It outlines the quality of the EU CERT HP work. Yours sincerely,

Robert Berckmans Secretary General From BSRIA BSRIA is a UK consultancy, test and research organisation providing construction and building services.

Ground Source Heat Pump Training Course Basically the Ground Source Heat Pump Contractors Association considered that the scope and level of the EuCert training was too much for their typical installer. Their installers don't get involved in design or commissioning, are only concerned with ground source systems and don't really need to know much about what goes on inside the box. Their main function is the plumb the thing together according to installation design provided by others. The appropriate training can therefore be limited to a day after which they are deemed competent to install a heat pump, when provided with the appropriate the design and commissioning support from manufacturers. The GSHPCA are therefore discussing the creation of such a course with BPEC. The EuCert course covers a much wider range of material including design issues, understanding the heat pump cycle and different types of heat sources and heat emitters. The EuCert partners don't consider that a person who has completed the course is immediately competent to design and install a complete system from scratch. They will need to receive further product specific training and accumulate on-the-job experience. They will also have, or obtain, qualifications in associated subjects e.g. plumbing and heating systems, domestic electrical installations etc. BSRIA are currently discussing the future dissemination of the EuCert course in the UK with qualifications bodies such as CITB and it will become a module available to students on existing courses in plumbing, heating air conditioning etc as well as part of renewable energy programmes. It is therefore evident that the proposed BPEC course will provide a quick route to basic ground source heat pump installation for existing plumbers or boiler installers while the EuCert qualification is pitched at a higher level for installers who need a wider appreciation of heat pump technology and will potentially be capable of offering a complete service (design, install, commission, maintain) to the customer. In other words, though I suspect these terms are not politically correct, the BPEC course is designed for the chap "on the tools" and the EuCert course is designed for the chap who wants to become a "professional" installer, possibly running an installation business.

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I don't think there is a problem with two different courses provided we can avoid confusion over what they are about. Indeed, some BPEC students might subsequently undertake to the EuCert course to broaden their knowledge. The complication is what happens in relation to accreditation of installers for the Low Carbon Buildings programme. According to Richard Freeborn (Kensa/GSHPCA) there is a proposal to formally link manufacturers and installers on the accredited lists. The manufacturer then takes partial responsibility for the performance of the installers they have approved i.e. to get the grant money, the product has to be on the list, the installer has to be on the list and the installer has to be approved by the manufacturer. This is consistent with the current model of supply for UK manufacturers and some of the imports. Since GSHPCA are promoting the BPEC course then are presumably happy that this is sufficient training, when taken with their own training and a bit of practical experience, to allow installers on to the list. Whether the Low Carbon Buildings programme will accept this is yet to be decided. Even if the Low Carbon Buildings programme does accept the BPEC course as a basis for installer training I don't think that affects the desirability of the EuCert approach as a qualification within the NVQ framework, as a module to accompany heating and plumbing or renewable energy courses. In the short term, the BPEC route may siphon off some of the demand for training, particularly from existing plumbers and heating engineers as a quick route into the heat pump business, but EuCert should be more attractive to the younger trainees and those looking for professional advancement. In any case, the grant scheme might last for a few more years but heat pumps are here to stay. Reginald Brown Head of Energy & Environment BSRIA Ltd, Old Bracknell Lane, Bracknell RG12 7AH Tel 01344 465539 (direct) Fax 01344 465626 www.bsria.co.uk

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Important decisions taken in CEN Resolutions taken at the 24th meeting of CEN TC 182 in Ostend on 34-25 October 2006 :

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Environment F-Gas Regulation issue Not much is happening while waiting for the December 6 Commission – Member States meeting. There was an EPEE meeting in Nürnberg on October 19. President Jacquin, MM. J. Hoogkamer and R. Berckmans represented AREA. Key points : EUROVENT will propose to AREA to adapt its position on standard leakage inspection procedures to take into account and clarify the interaction between indirect and direct methods; EUROVENT will have an internal meeting on November 8 to finalize a proposal that will then been addressed in the November 17 TEC meeting. The installers will fix the labels on installations; EPEE proposes labels with “symbols” and minimum language; the harmonized language will be English. It was confirmed that recovery is a task for certified personnel. EPEE was asked to prepare a concrete proposal for collecting data from the logbooks and organize the bottom up consolidation nationwide. The AREA position on the implementation of the article 5, training and certification, is not shared with EUROVENT / Daikin; they want to be able to certify teams of specialized personS. AREA can understand the situation for technicians from manufacturers but repeated that it was not acceptable for contractor’s personnel. AREA asked EPEE to remain neutral and to refer to the role expected from the WG in charge of revising standard EN 13313. Technical matters

The MINIREF Project

The Project manager, Mr. Ronald Vermeeren has left TNO starting on the 1st of November. His activities in the MINIREF project will be taken over by Mr. Sietze van der Sluis, starting from the 1st of November. The new contact details are: telephone: +31 55 549 3162, e-mail: sietze.vandersluis@tno.nl Mr. Joop Hoogkamer will give us an update on the project during the November 17-18 Brussels meeting. Standardisation Work programme of CEN TC 182 published on October 12, 2006

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European Commission

DG TREN A website to visit to watch the progress in preparatory studies about eco-design of commercial refrigerators and freezers :

Ecodesign of EuP Products

Preparatory Studies LOT 12: Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers

Ecofreezercom.org > Home

Welcome to ecofreezercom.org

This site provides information on the preparatory studies for ecodesign of EuP products, lot 12 i.e. for commercial refrigerators and freezers.

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DG ENERGY Commissioner Piebalgs proposes 75 actions to slash energy consumption

Source : EPEE, October 20, 2006 The Commission announced its Energy Efficiency Action Plan (EEAP). The objective of the Action Plan is to outline a coherent framework of policies and measures with a view to saving a substantial part of the 20% of the EU’s annual primary energy consumption by 2020. Among these policies is the implementation and enforcement of existing legislation as well as new legislation. The Plan recognizes that the largest cost-effective savings potential lies in the residential and commercial buildings sector, and focuses its priorities accordingly. The Action Plan is to be introduced over a period of six years. The Action Plan places specific emphasis on 10 priority actions and their approximate completion dates:

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1. Updating and developing new appliance and equipment labelling and minimum performance requirements; this includes, inter alia: a. Implementing the Eco-Design Directive and developing eco-design requirements for additional products (2008-2010) b. Proposing a new Commission Directive for energy labelling of gas water heaters and electric water heaters (2007) c. Preparing additional labeling-implementing measures and revising existing labels with a view to giving A-label status to no more than 20% of appliances d. Seeking agreement on more stringent and harmonized criteria for voluntary agreements to significantly increase energy efficiency (2009) 2. Building performance requirements and a strategy to ensure more wide-spread development of “passive houses”; this includes, inter alia: a. Implementing and amending the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) to contain, among others, minimum performance requirements for new and renovated buildings, with view to new buildings approaching the level of “passive houses” from 2015 onwards b. Proposing binding requirements to install passive heating and cooling technologies (by the end of 2008) 3. Making power generation and distribution more efficient; this includes, inter alia: a. Developing minimum efficiency requirements for new electricity, heating and cooling capacity lower than 20 MW and consider such requirements for larger production units (2008) 4. Achieving fuel efficiency in cars; this includes, inter alia: a. Working towards minimum efficiency requirements for automobile air-conditioning systems (2007-2008) 5. Facilitating appropriate financing of energy efficiency investment for enterprises 6. Spurring energy efficiency in the new Member States 7. Using taxation coherently; this includes, inter alia: a. Preparing a Green Paper on indirect taxation (2008) b. Reviewing the Energy Tax Directive (2008) c. Creating tax incentives to promote increased production of certified energy-efficient appliances and equipment 8. Raising energy efficiency awareness; this includes, inter alia: a. Strengthening energy efficiency guidelines by amending the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Regulation (2007) b. EMAS-certifying all Commission buildings (2007-2009) 9. Promoting energy efficiency in built-up areas 10. Fostering energy efficiency worldwide; this includes, inter alia: a. Proposing voluntary agreements with export industries on information, minimum efficiency requirements and labeling (2007-2012) b. Increasing international cooperation on measurement methods for minimum efficiency requirements and labeling (2007-2012) c. Creating an international network for dissemination of information and advice on efficient technologies (2009)

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In terms of next steps, the Energy Efficiency Action Plan now needs to be endorsed by the Council and the European Parliament, as well as national and regional policy makers. The proposed measures are also to be subject to an individual impact assessment. Monitoring and updating of the Action Plan are to be carried out periodically, a mid-term review has been set for 2009, and progress achieved is to be assessed through the framework dot the Strategic European Energy Reviews.

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EU directive on heating and cooling from renewable sources Source : ENDS Europe, 24/10/06 ------------------------- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will take the final decision on whether to include targets in a planned EU directive on heating and cooling from renewable sources. At an event organised by district heating association Euroheat & Power in Brussels earlier this month, Commission official Samuele Furfari described the issue of renewables targets as "very sensitive". More generally, Mr Barroso must first decide whether the Commission should propose sectoral targets for renewables or stick with an overall objective, he added. Any targets could take various forms, for example an EU objective, member state goals, or targets for specific equipment such as heat pumps. According to the commission, one possible barrier to setting targets is a lack of EU data on heating and cooling, and the proposals will include an obligation on member states to collect such data in the future. Mr Furfari said he was confident that the directive would be proposed before the end of the year as part of wider proposals for a common EU energy policy. The directive will address "all aspects" of renewable heating and cooling, including solar thermal, biomass and geothermal energy. Heat pumps will also be addressed. Mr Furfari expressed disappointment that the scope of the directive would not extend beyond renewable energies to include waste-to-energy incineration. The proposed directive will be accompanied by measures on land use planning in order to "factor heating and cooling considerations into the planning process". Thought will also be given on how to link the new proposals to 2004 EU legislation on combined heat and power generation.

*** GENERAL ENQUIRY Answer requested from AREA EVALUATION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S IMPACT ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

In 2003, the European Commission developed its integrated approach for the assessment of impacts of its planned significant policy or legislative initiatives. More than 150 impact assessments have so far been carried out by different Commission departments. Now, the Commission is undertaking a comprehensive, independent evaluation to review the set-up, implementation and results of its approach to impact assessments.

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The Secretariat-General of the European Commission has contracted "The Evaluation Partnership", Richmond, (UK) to carry out this evaluation. As part of this review, an on-line consultation process has been launched and you are being asked as an individual, or as an organisation active in the policy making processes (in so far as you take part in Commission consultations), to kindly complete a questionnaire.

You have been identified for this survey through the database for Consultation, the European Commission and Civil Society (CONECCS) or through the different Commission Departments which have consulted you in the past.

The evaluation team is very interested in your views on the Commission’ s Impact Assessment System. Your input will help the evaluation team to examine how the system is working in practice and is perceived by stakeholders, and aid the evaluators in developing their options for improving the current approach.

The analysis of the responses to this stakeholder consultation will contribute to the final evaluation report. The Commission envisages publishing the final evaluation report on its Impact Assessment page on the Europa website (Cf. http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/index_en.htm) in spring 2007.

Until 30 November 2006, the questionnaire can be accessed in English, German or French by clicking on the following link:

http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/consultations/index_en.htm.

European legislation WEEE Source : European Voice, 12 October Implementing a directive on electrical and electronic waste is proving far from easy By Lorraine Mallinder Electronic goods, whether washing machines or mobile phones, can cause damage to the environment long after their working life is finished. Often dumped on landfill sites, or incinerated with other forms of household rubbish, they can have shockingly harmful effects on the environment, releasing pollutants into the soil, air or groundwater. Aware of the detrimental side-effects of such practices – not least the gaping hole in the ozone layer – the European Commission proposed a directive on waste from electrical and electronic equipment (known as WEEE) which was agreed three years ago. Laggard member states including the UK and Malta have been slow to transpose the directive into national law, although it should have been applicable in EU15 countries since last July. Industry, too, is experiencing its fair share of technical hitches. The WEEE directive focuses on recovery and recycling of waste products, all of which is to be financed by industry, thus providing more incentive to manufacture durable goods. WEEE is complemented by a directive on the restriction of the use of hazardous substances (RoHS), primarily the heavy metals that can be found in supposedly clean, light forms of technology such as laptops. Examples are lung-damaging cadmium found in cables, connectors and batteries, and brain-damaging mercury, which is sometimes used to illuminate LCD displays. Both directives place on industry greater responsibility for reducing the environmental footprint

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of electronic products. According to Commission estimates, each of us currently produces between 17 and 20 kilograms of waste electric and electronic equipment per year. In 1998, the majority of this, amounting to six million tonnes, ended up leaking into rivers and eating into the ozone layer. The situation can only have been improved by the legislation, but not by as much as was planned. A report published last month by the UK Department of Trade and Industry showed that, while European firms are reaching collection targets set by EU law, they are having trouble meeting the recovery targets. Most member states are managing to collect the 4kg per person that is demanded, with Sweden actually managing 14kgs per person, but hitting the 80% metal recovery requirement is more difficult, despite the existence of advanced technological means. Small items are particularly problematic. Industry is critical of the broad disparities in national laws incorporating the directives. “The main problem is that the legislation is being implemented in different ways in different member states. Non-harmonised regulations cost industry a lot of money in administrative costs,” says Ramon Launa, environmental manager at the European Information & Communications Technology Industry Association. The way that legislation has been transposed in Bulgaria and Romania, two countries that are about to join the EU, will create problems, says Pascal Leroy, in charge of government affairs at CECED, the European Committee of Household Appliance Manufacturers, which represents manufacturers such as Electrolux and Whirlpool. CECED believes these countries have interpreted legislation so bluntly that they will place impossible targets on industry. Some environmentalists argue that big business deserves tough targets for feeding the disposable culture in which we live. Leroy is adamant, however, that industry has gone to great pains to tackle the issue. “There is a lot of expertise in dealing with waste, a lot of state of the art technology,” he says. He points out that CECED is engaged in the voluntary process of drafting recycling specifications for hydrocarbons (contained in fridge-cooling systems) with the WEEE Forum, an association of voluntary industry-driven recycling systems, and the European Electronics Recyclers Association. Hydrocarbons, unlike their predecessors chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), do not harm the ozone layer, but they can explode under pressure, harming workers in recycling plants. In the meantime, the Commission has taken concerns about lack of harmonisation on board, launching this year a review of the laws. According to a report produced by the Commission’s scientific arm, the Joint Research Centre, countries which did not previously have an eco-friendly culture lack the know-how to put the law effectively into practice. Proper implementation would require not only the establishment of simple initiatives such as collection points – in some cases, it also implies real disruption to industrial supply chains feeding exempt (eg, military) and non-exempt sectors. Once set in motion, practices would also have to be tested and adapted, a process which takes time. Achieving EU-wide compliance with the laws may take a few more years yet. Member States UK Action on EPBD

In order to meet the requirements of the Housing Act 2006 and the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), it is necessary to develop a cadre of suitably trained and qualified Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs). DEAs will assess the energy performance of dwellings when they are to be sold let and will produce Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) - for inclusion within Home Information Packs (HIPs) in the case of marketed sales.

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« Asset Skills » has a contract with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to develop the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Energy Assessors. In order to underpin the training and development of DEAs and to inform the development of a suitable qualification, a suite of National Occupational Standards (NOS) has been developed. These draft NOS have been closely informed by the current NOS for Home Inspectors, although a degree of tailoring has been required to ensure that they adequately reflect the particular demands of domestic energy assessment. It is vitally important to ensure that these NOS are fit-for-purpose and Asset Skills now wishes to consult widely with practitioners and stakeholders throughout the UK. Sister Associations

ASERCOM press releases

"ASERCOM Energy Efficiency Award" 2006 Award for a new system for the control of the refrigerant flow

The ASERCOM Award aims to stimulate innovation in refrigeration, heat pumps and air conditioning, resulting in energy savings and the 2006 prize winner is Mr. Svenning Ericsson with his Swedish company "Bubble Expansion Valve BXV(R) AB" receiving EUR 10 000 in cash. The awarded invention is a new system to throttle the refrigerant between condenser and evaporator. This system enables the evaporator to be completely filled with boiling refrigerant. This is not usual in small and medium sized equipment, where the thermostatic expansion valve is common practice. With the related dry expansion the final part of the evaporator serves to superheat the generated vapour and this process shows a relatively low heat transfer. The new expansion device aims to be an alternative for small sized units with the advantage of a better heat transfer in the evaporator, working in a flooded instead of a dry mode. The new device incorporates an ejector for fluid recirculation, and several arrangements to protect the compressor and to control the condenser liquid contents. The various aspects are brought together in an integrated unit, which does not depend on electronics. The basic control principle is to ensure that no liquid stores in the condenser; a slip flow of non condensed gas serves as a signal, which is transferred to the throttle valve. It is expected that the new device in an appropriate system design brings an energy saving between 10 and 20%. More details will be made available on the ASERCOM website www.asercom.org Note: ASERCOM honors an outstanding innovative approach to improved energy efficiency because: Energy consumption is responsible for the major part of greenhouse gas emissions over the lifetime of refrigeration and air conditioning systems - substantially more than any direct emissions of HFC refrigerants. One example: these systems account for 14% of Germany’s power consumption, and the figure is similar for other European countries. Hence efficiency improvements represent the way forward for refrigeration and air conditioning to contribute to emission reduction. This award is therefore focused on energy saving concepts. The ASERCOM Symposium 2006 – a Successful Event

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This year the ASERCOM Symposium was held on October 17th, one day before the official IKK show started and its topic was:

"European Directives and Regulations – New Business Opportunities"

EU legislation related to environment protection and energy efficiency creates additional

business for the market Refrigeration – Air Conditioning – Heat Pumps

This year’s event was presented in 3 parts to an audience of 165 participants, each part being focused on specific topics. The first part has given a further insight on European Regulations and Directives related to protecting the environment and reducing global warming effects. Peter Horrocks and Ismo Gronroos-Saikkala of the European Commission gave an update respectively on the F-Gas regulation and the Energy Performance for Buildings and the Energy-using-Products Directives. To continue with recent directive updates a full session was led by Chris Sherwood (Foreign Commercial Service) on RoHS and WEEE. To conclude the first part, Friedrich Busch of EPEE explained what additional regulatory changes we should all expect in the near future. The second part demonstrated that protecting the environment and developing new business are not conflicting initiatives from both a product and service stand point. First Martin Dieryckx (Daikin) presented how new product design can be environmentally friendly. Rainer Jakobs (IZW) gave a presentation about the fast growing heat pump market in Europe that demonstrated that directive and regulation changes can generate substantial market opportunities. Forbes Pearson (Star Refrigeration) then explained how new refrigerant legislations can lead to new product opportunities. In addition, Norman Mitchell (AREA) and Sascha Wenzler (VDKF) gave full presentations on certification and training programs, inspection and system optimization, that enable industry players to meet the requirements outlined by the legislation. The third and last part showed examples of how ASERCOM contributes to these initiatives. EFCTC press release

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Events POLAGRA FOOD 2007 Third Refrigeration Forum – exhibition of refrigerating installations, air conditioning equipment and heat pumps 15-19 September 2007, Poznan, Poland For information : fax +48 61 8692955, joanna.jasinska@mtp.pl

*** IKK Statement received : We would like to thank you for a successful IKK 2006. The 893 exhibitors, 66% international exhibitors, seem to be pleased with the results of the IKK. Around 29.000 visitors from all over the world could be welcomed at the IKK 2006. The IKK as traditional trade fair from and for the RAC specialists has shown that we are working with the right concept: A very international fair with highly qualified visitors from all around the world use the IKK as communication platform of the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Ventilation branch. The path fort he future of the IKK has been set. If you have further questions do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards Dipl.-Volkswirt Rudolf Pütz Dipl. oec. Sascha F. Wenzler General Manager Project Director Press release :

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And the answer of CHILLVENTA :

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Extracts of another IKK GmbH press release received on October 25 :

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