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Did you know that many gases in air conditioners and refrigeration systems can be extremely harmful to the environment if released?
Many old refrigerants damage the ozone layer. Other refrigerants are potent greenhouse gases. They can contribute to climate change and impact human health.
This video explains how refrigerants contribute to climate change and what you can do to help reduce emissions.
When the world united in the 1980s to rid the atmosphere of chlorofluorocarbons, it helped to restore the ozone layer and prevented some significant climate warming.
The same thing is happening again as we phase down hydrofluorocarbons, the refrigerants that replaced CFCs. HFCs don't harm the ozone layer, but they are potent greenhouse gases.
The phase down aims to reduce their use by 85% by 2036. With current international action, the ozone layer is expected to recover by 2065.
Unfortunately, refrigerants still aren't always dealt with properly, contributing to refrigerant emissions worth 2 million cars on the road in Australia each year.
With the energy they consume, the 60 million systems across the country that use HFCs are responsible for 12% of Australia's total emissions. And they can be expensive to run if not properly installed or maintained.
It's illegal to release regulated refrigerants into the air. This is because some refrigerants can stay in the atmosphere for decades or more and can be thousands of times worse for climate change than carbon dioxide.
Only licensed technicians can handle refrigerants. They also have the expertise to ensure systems are correctly sized, sited, installed, charged and maintained to prevent leaks and minimise energy costs.
There are over 100,000 licensed technicians and businesses in Australia.
As technology evolves, this industry is becoming increasingly important for everything from cooling batteries and refrigerating produce, to building sustainability. And keeping everyday Australians cool is only going to become more important.
So thank you to our air con and refrigeration technicians for keeping our systems running and playing their part in the fight against climate change.
In fact, one kilogram of refrigerant R410a has the same greenhouse impact as 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent of driving your car for 10,000 km.
That's why Australia has specific laws that:
Refrigerants leak into the atmosphere from:
You can stop this by only using licensed technicians who know how to properly maintain equipment and manage these gases.
A technician who holds a Refrigerant Handling Licence has the training and skills to minimise the emission of these refrigerants to the atmosphere.
It is an offence for anyone else to handle fluorocarbon refrigerants.
Use the ARC authorised business search to find authorised businesses in your area.
Australia has Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) levels for products that are imported or manufactured in Australia.
The MEPS levels are mandatory requirements for certain products. This includes air conditioners, refrigerators & freezers.
These are specified in Australia Standards.
Everyone has a role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Choosing an energy efficient appliance is one way to do this while also saving money.
Choose an energy-efficient appliance. Look for the energy rating label, the more stars it has, the more efficient the product is.
The less energy it uses, the less it costs you to run and the less damage it does to the environment.
The Australian Government will phase down bulk hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) imports from 2018. This is in line with a global agreement reached as part of the Montreal Protocol.
HFCs are a type of synthetic greenhouse gas mostly used in refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment to replace ozone depleting substances. These substances have been phased out under the Montreal Protocol. While HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer, they are powerful greenhouse gases that survive in the atmosphere for many years.
More information is available on: HFC phase-down – Frequently asked questions.