SPONSORED BY ROUNDTABLE B etter-quality training and tougher legislation to upskill refrigerant contractors were the key messages at CIBSE Journals roundtable in November, held at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The event, sponsored by REFCOM the register of companies competent to manage refrigerants focused on the benefits of REFCOM Elite to ensure best practice in air conditioning installation. Other issues debated included: the relevance of the F-Gas registration; making REFCOM Elite mandatory; and educating consultants on specifying the right quality air conditioning equipment to help raise standards in the industry. Graeme Fox, head of REFCOM Schemes, outlined the background to the register, which began as a voluntary scheme for contractors to show they were working to high environmental standards and were properly trained. After the introduction of the F-Gas regulations, two schemes were formed the mandatory REFCOM F-Gas certification and REFCOM Elite, the original, more JOINING THE ELITE Poorly installed cooling systems can have disastrous consequences for energy efficiency and CO2 emissions. Amanda Birch hears how REFCOM Elite can eliminate the risks, in our latest expert roundtable WHAT IS REFCOM ELITE? REFCOM Elite membership proves to owners and operators that a refrigeration or air conditioning company: Is competent to install, commission, decommission or maintain a system containing refrigerant Is a licensed waste carrier Can handle refrigerants safely Is compliant with all current legal requirements Operates auditable procedures for the proper control of refrigerants, and can account for all refrigerant used and recovered Uses appropriate, purpose-designed refrigerant recovery equipment Performs refrigerant transactions with minimum emissions and is environmentally aware. REFCOM Elite membership is granted after inspection by an independent third party. | REFCOM ELITE rigorous voluntary scheme. Our concern is that the F-Gas registration doesnt go far enough in terms of improving the industry and policing it, said Fox. We argued at the time with the government that the standard is too low. The F-Gas registration has dumbed down the sector at contracting level and we see a lot of poorly qualified people who call themselves refrigeration engineers when they arent. The roundtable participants agreed that the current situation was a major concern. Graham Wright, chair of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (Acrib), argued that the F-Gas registration is not an air conditioning qualification. F-Gas allows an installer to work on the equipment, but it doesnt necessarily mean that person is qualified to understand how the system works, or assess its energy efficiency or any safety requirements, said Wright. Its brought everyone down to a minimum standard. Terry Hussey, director of London Air Conditioning, agreed. Its a crash course five days of training and a person can get a gas certificate, he said. The City and Guilds course required three years of training this is what should still be required. The outcome, according to participants of the roundtable, is that an F-Gas qualified person often has no understanding of how to operate a system, how to interrogate it, and how to fault-find correctly all essential skills if properly qualified. Lets not forget that air conditioning systems are far more sophisticated today than they were 10 years www.cibsejournal.com December 2019 33 CIBSE Dec19 pp33-36 REFCOM Roundtable.indd 33 22/11/2019 15:24