Marco Buoni VicePresident International Affairs, AREA

1. Certification Program for Service TechniciansEnforcement and Monitoring UNEP First Inter-Regional Thematic Meeting Paris, 18 January 2018 Marco Buoni VicePresident International Affairs, AREA Air Conditioning & Refrigeration European contractors’ Association (www.area-eur.be) Secretary General Italian Association of Refrigeration Technician, ATF (www.associazioneATF.org) Director Centro Studi Galileo (www.centrogalileo.it)

2. Contractors’ training with low GWP refrigerants: mind the gap! Kigali Amendment includes measures in favour of a decreased use of HFCs in RACHP equipment. Such measures would, in turn, result in an increased use of alternatives, namely low GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants, and in particular the so-called “natural refrigerants” (CO2, hydrocarbons and ammonia). Mindful of the key role played by contractors in the safe, efficient and reliable functioning of equipment working with natural refrigerants, AREA sought an overview of the availability and level of training in the EU. In EU: Report of EU commission presented at Consultation Forum 1st December Fgas Certified Technicians in EU: nearly 500.000! Start certification of personnel for alternative refrigerants

3. Enforcement: WhycreatingTraining, Assessment, Certificationand make it work • With the help of Legislations: • Reducing Refrigerant Emissions, GHG (as F-gases), ODS • Increasing energy efficiency (reducing CO2) • of Customers / End users: • Whole sellers, distributors, big customers … requires environment friendly and energy efficiency products • Require a proof of competency • of Service Technicians: • A more aggressive competition requires prove of higher quality and certification •  Certification of the personnel and of the companies who handle air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pumps equipment

4. WhycreatingTraining, Assessment, Certification (2) • The associations’ role in certification could be also: • to work alongside the government to set the rules, certification schemes and regulations • a third party policing the correct implementation of the regulation • certification body who guarantees the high standard of the certification • certification body who issues the certification, renewing periodically • the body who keeps the list, register and the records of certified technicians and companies

5. WhycreatingTraining, Assessment, Certification (3) • It is recommended that only Certified Technicians holding a certificate will be allowed to: • install, maintain, repair, recover, dismantle RAC systems containing refrigerants • buy the refrigerant as a proved Certificate holder • Fill the logbook of the system • NB. Informal Sector buys Refrigerant only if holding the certification. This will stop the development of an informal sector and in particular preventing the bad behavior (accidents, emissions) which is most common in this sector.

6. Recap on Enforcement:Promote the certification of RAC Service Technicians • For the success of the certification some important recommendations should be considered: • Certification should be made compulsory by law for every technician who is handling refrigerants (especially flammables) • Certification should be necessary to buy refrigerants and equipment containing refrigerant • Certification should be properly and publicly advertised at all levels (end-users, service companies, manufacturers, government institutions) as an added value to guarantee professionalism through seminars. Information should be made available to the technicians and the end users • Possible barriers before and after the certification should be considered, such as: • technicians may see Certification as an added cost, a tax to enter the sector • the process may be very bureaucratic , it must be made simple

7. AREA guidelines • Low GWP Refrigerants Guidance on minimum requirements for contractors in RSS Training & Certification Used by several EU member states for implementing national legislations and recommendations

8. Example: training for Flammable refrigerants Necessary equipment and components (minimum) • Test Rig equipped with Pressure Gauges, sight glasses in key points, service valves for connections, temperature well - thermowell (Domestic/Commercial refrigerator or small packaged portable air conditioning unit) • Mechanical/compression joint tool and connectors • Nitrogen Regulator - Cylinder of High Purity Nitrogen • Electronic Weighing Platform • Hydrocarbon Cylinder • Electronic or analogue Vacuum gauge • Manifold set - Hoses with ball valves • Vacuum Pumps and Hose • Electronic Leak Detector (suit HC) • Proprietary Leak Spray • Temperature meter • Ammeter • Tools, Pipe Cutters, Pipe Deburring Tool, Pipework Expanders, Hacksaws, Brazing Rods • Flaring Tool • Personal protective equipment Course details • Thermodynamic characteristic of Hydrocarbons as refrigerant - p/h diagram • Specific components for Hydrocarbons • Electronic components suitable for flammable refrigerants • Refrigeration and Air conditioning applications with HC • Recovery or Venting Hydrocarbons • Vacuum-Charging procedures • Leak testing • Mechanical/compression joint connections – avoid brazing • Flammability and safety issues, first aid • Conversion HCFC – HFC systems into HC • National and European regulations and standards • Transport and storage requirements • Logbook

9. Recommendations of AREA: Minimum Requirements for alternative refrigerants HC – NH3– CO2– HFO Details in AREA Guidance www.area-eur.be

10. AREA guidelines • Equipment for handling refrigerants with lower (A2L) and higher (A3) flammability Example of Figure from the guideline: Possible sources for leakage and safety equipment used when filling flammable refrigerant ! Translated already in 8 languages, including Spanish!

11. Minimum Requirements for Training & Certification

12. Registration and monitoring

13. Registration and monitoring Online Register with the name of all the service technicans and companies which are certified Anybody can see if someone is or is not certified

14. Recap on: Monitoring the results of the certification • Monitoring systems consists of putting in place several tools within the National Certification Scheme: • A register of certified personnel and companies publically available online (recommended) or held by a national authority • Only certified personnel and companies can purchase refrigerants and refrigerant containing equipment • Only certified personnel and companies can install, repair, maintain, recover and dismantle RAC systems • A register with the quantity of purchased and recovered refrigerants (both at a certified personnel or company level and from at the distributors) available to the authorities • Refrigeration System Logbook containing relevant historical data of the installation, maintenance and repair available for each system (a threshold to avoid small systems, like domestic refrigeration and air conditioning, could be evaluated) • The above allows the checking and monitoring of the whole sector, whether the Service Technician and the company doing the job is competent and prevents loopholes in the certification system

15. Certification System for the Middle East Centro Studi Galileo and UNEP are working to activate the national certificate programme for rehabilitating workers in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors in accordance with the European certificate (F-Gas Regulation). Bahrain's strategic plan, 2015-2020, for phasing out ozone-depleting substances, implemented by the SCE, requires rehabilitating personnel operating in air conditioning sectors according to the requirements of the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. WE CAN SUPPORT YOU!

16. Training & Certificationin Tunisia • Example of session carried out with UNIDO in Tunisia: • Training • Certification Session • Delivery of equipment • We are working to develop a certification scheme • Many other countries, such as: The Gambia, Rwanda, Ghana, Benin, Bahrain, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Montenegro, The Caribbeans, China, etc.

17. With UNIDO Training and Equipment for flammablerefrigerants in Caribbean islands • Training • Certification Session • Curriculum for starting the Certification on traditional refrigerant mandatory + voluntary certification on alternative refrigerants

18. Real Alternatives for LIFERefrigerant Emissions Alternatives and Leakage – blended learning for low GWP refrigerants Objectives Increase knowledge amongst technicians in partner and stakeholder countries. Address inconsistencies in skills across the whole of the EU Overcome equipment operator and distributor concerns over safety, reliability, containment, efficiency and standards restrictions Support implementation of F Gas Regs and transition to alternative refrigerants

19. Project Management team8 organisations – 6 Languages London South Bank University, UK AssociazioneTecnici del Freddo, Italy Institute of Refrigeration, UK Limburg Catholic University College, Belgium Foundation for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, Poland European Association for Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Het Pumps (AREA) Informationszentrum für Kälte- Klima- und Energietechnik, Germany With the co-operation of the International Institute of Refrigeration

20. REAL Alternative Learning Modules 9 booklets to download for free as study aids and e-learning

21. Elearning and booklets

22. Project website (multilingual) www.realalternatives.eu

23. Modules on the different Alternative Refrigerants through the Real Alternatives Certification (theoretical and practical) • Carbon dioxide • Ammonia • Flammables (HCs & A2L) • Addressing safety, efficiency, reliability and containment aspects of service and maintenance. • Higher system pressures • Flammability • Toxicity • And the tools to handle those refrigerants Certification on Alternative Refrigerants

24. LET’S MOVE TO ALTERNATIVE REFRIGERANTS TOGETHER! *Already available languages: English, Italian, French, German, Polish, Spanish, Finnish, Dutch; under development languages: Russian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovakian, Romanian, Croatian, Turkish**Possible only when training material is already available in the official language of your Country*** Certificate fee: 30€

25. Cooperation with UNEP

26. Conclusions Goal  Make it self sustainable and economically feasible WE CAN SUPPORT YOU Writing and Implementing a Certification Scheme in your Country Strengthening the local Associations Providing the training & equipment Delivering Certification

27. New AREA membership category: International Observers Due to the significant worldwide interest in European legislative evolutions, and the increase in competence of the personnel who handle the new refrigerants, we wish to introduce to you the brand new “International Observer” membership category in AREA. This will give a fantastic opportunity for RACHP installers’ bodies, throughout the world, to benefit from the expertise and discussions within Europe through their access to AREA. Join AREA 22 Associations of RAC Technicians!

28. To preserve • our water, • ourclimate • ourenvironment • weshouldmove to new refrigerantsbut • weshould do it with competence THANK YOU! Email: buoni@centrogalileo.it Marco Buoni VicePresident International Affairs, AREA Air Conditioning & Refrigeration European contractors’ Association (www.area-eur.be) Secretary General Italian Association of Refrigeration Technician, ATF (www.associazioneATF.org) Director Centro Studi Galileo (www.centrogalileo.it)