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Refrigerant R32, is it now banned in the EU from 1st Jan 2027 for monobloc ASHPs?

 
Safety, Regulations, Tools, Plumbing & DIY Installations
Last Post by JamesPa 2 months ago
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 AllyFish
(@allyfish)
Prominent Member Contributor
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 518
Topic starter 21/02/2024 9:46 am   [#1392]

Not that long ago R32 was touted as the 'refrigerant of the future' - a pure compound low GWP (675) HFC with near identical performance properties to the then popular but much higher GWP R410A.

Now it seems R32 will shortly be consigned to history in the EU under the newly adopted legislation EC2024/573 targeting the drawn-down and phase out of greenhouse gas use. The UK is not obliged to follow the EUs legislative timeline. Refrigeration industry leaders in the UK are calling for a more cautious and measured draw down and phase out.

For once, that's not the UK shying away from Net Zero 2050 or simple anti EU rhetoric - rather a genuine concern that EU legislation is often driven ideologically rather than pragmatically, enacting legislation that could jeapordise the refrigeration industry. The proposed EU ban on PFASs (so-called 'forever chemicals') is a case-in-point. That would ban most common HFO synthetic refrigerants used in the heat pump industry, including R1234yf and R1234ze and whole host of other ASHRAE refrigerants developed as ultra low GWP alternatives to HFC refrigerants. These are commonly used in larger industrial heat pumps where A2L and A3 flammable category refrigerants such as R32 and R290 cannot be used for safety reasons.

R290 propane will probably be the future long-term refrigerant for small hermetic monobloc ASHPs, but ASHP manufacturers such as Ideal Logic Air, Ebac and others have all recently punted for R32 in newly launched domestic market products. This could be a very unwelcome development for them...

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dgclimatecontrol
 dgclimatecontrol
(@dgclimatecontrol)
Estimable Member Member Professional Installer
Joined: 10 months ago
Posts: 72
17/12/2025 5:01 pm  

This has been delayed from what I believe to be this year originally. Doesn't affect anything at present until the cut off date and even then it makes little difference to most customers. R290 has some serious siting restrictions so will in many cases prevent a heat pump purchase.



   
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 Jonatan
(@jonatan)
New Member Member
Joined: 2 months ago
Posts: 6
11/03/2026 3:25 pm  

Thanks for the clarification. Sounds like the 2027 date is the key milestone, so for now R32 installations can continue as normal. Definitely interesting to see how the industry will adapt with R290’s limitations for some sites.



   
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JamesPa
 JamesPa
(@jamespa)
Illustrious Member Moderator
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 4864
11/03/2026 4:32 pm  

Posted by: @dgclimatecontrol
↑

This has been delayed from what I believe to be this year originally. Doesn't affect anything at present until the cut off date and even then it makes little difference to most customers. R290 has some serious siting restrictions so will in many cases prevent a heat pump purchase.

I wonder if heat pump manufacturers will tone these siting restrictions down.  I suspect so.  They aren't, so far as I have been able to establish, actually enshrined in any regulation (at least not in the UK) in which case its is within their gift to amend them!

They might also add a diagram showing explicitly that a heat pump directly under an opening window is OK, provided that the top of the case is below the opening part.  Currently only some of the diagrams that manufacturers draw make that clear, although I am not aware of any which clearly exclude heat pumps below windows, so for me at least the intended interpretation is not in doubt (and makes sense given that propane is heavier than air).

On the other hand the EU regulation as reproduced above would allow R32 if safety requirements prohibit R290, so maybe R32 will remain as a fall back at least until manufacturers have introduced a couple more safety measures so they can justify relaxing the siting requirements entirely.  Given that I can have a (unsealed) 13kg canister of propane in a boat, or for that matter a house, they feel a bit over the top anyway!

One way or another there seems to be sufficient wiggle room that heat pump installations need not be prevented.


This post was modified 2 months ago 9 times by JamesPa

4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.


   
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