EWS | DIGEST 1m penalty for F-Gas offender UK F-Gas register Refcom has welcomed the Environment Agencys decision to issue a fine of more than 1m to a company that breached the F-Gas Regulations. The London-based firm IMO Gas Supplies was found guilty of seven offences all linked to breaches of regulation 31A of the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations over a two-year period. It was given five 200,000 fines for failing to ensure that the quantity of HFCs it was using did not exceed its F-Gas quota. It also received a 10,000 fine for failing to sufficiently report imports of HFCs to the European Commission and a 1,500 penalty for not keeping proper records. The firm is reported to have been using refrigerants R134A, R404A, R410A and R407C, which are subject to restrictions under the regulations. This is precisely the kind of tough action we have been urging from the Environment Agency, said Refcoms head of technical Graeme Fox. BEIS launches heat network zoning consultation Methodology to be studied for identifying and designating heat network zones BEIS is seeking views on its proposed approach to deliver heat network zones in England and identify areas where they are the most appropriate solution for low carbon heat. The consultation, which closes on 19 November, will consider how central and local government can work more effectively with the industry and local stakeholders to identify and designate areas where heat networks are the lowest-cost solution for decarbonising heat. It will inform the governments project to develop legislation and processes for zoning, and is inviting views on the broad principles for how heat network zones could be designed, ahead of later consultations that will go into further detail. This consultation will cover: the methodology to be used for identifying and designating zones; the roles and responsibilities of different parties involved in the zoning process; the requirements for certain buildings within zones to connect to a heat network; the requirements on certain parties to provide information to support the enforcement, monitoring and reporting regimes. For more on the Heat Network Zoning consulation see page 39. Environment Agency issues UK flood warning REGISTER NOW FOR OUR FREE WEBINAR Water Source Heat Pumps and Ultra Low Heat Networks for the Multi-Residential Sector Monday 29 November 2021, 13:00 (GMT) The UK is dangerously underprepared for the impacts of climate change, according to a report from the Environment Agency (EA), prepared to coincide with the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this month. Entitled Living better with a changing climate, the report predicts that winter rainfall will rise by 6%, and decrease in summer by 15%, by the 2050s. It adds that this would have a devastating effect on farming and exacerbate water scarcity in cities. Flooding will increase dramatically, it continues, with Londons sea level expected to rise by 23cm by the 2050s, in the 2050s than they are today. This will lead to severe Europe this summer. The report adds that this kind of episode will happen in defences, unless we also make the places where we live, work and travel resilient to the more violent weather the climate emergency is bringing. While mitigation might save the planet, it is adaptation, preparing for climate shocks, that will save millions of lives, said EA chair Emma Howard Boyd. Choosing one over the other on the basis of a simple either/ Register here: SCAN ME With that in mind, it is deeply worrying that adaptation is in danger of being grievously undercooked at COP26. Not by the UK government, but by the world at large. Read the report at bit.ly/CJNov21NewsEA 8 November 2021 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Nov21 pp08-09 News.indd 8 22/10/2021 14:53