After January 1st, 2017, labelling requirements for products contained F-gas (fluorinated greenhouse gases) listed in the annex I of EU Regulation 517/2014 will be effective.
Scope
Refrigerator, freezer and air-conditioner product
Label Content
The label must state:
From January 1st, 2017 the label on any product apart from insulating foam must also state the:
Hermetically sealed equipment
If F gas is ‘hermetically sealed’ within a product, the label must also state that’s the case. F gas is hermetically sealed if both of the following apply:
A system that meets these 2 conditions is considered hermetically sealed even if it has capped valves or capped service ports to allow access for repairs and maintenance.
Technical requirements for label
The label shall be clearly readable and indelible and shall be placed either:
(a) adjacent to the service ports for charging or recovering the fluorinated greenhouse gas; or
(b) on that part of the product or equipment that contains the fluorinated greenhouse gas, where possible, adjacent to existing nameplates or product information labels of the product;
The label shall be in the official languages of the Member State in which it is to be placed on the market.
Where to find the GWP value of a HFC
The GWP of HFCs can be found in the Annex I of REGULATION (EU) No 517/2014.
How to calculate the total GWP of a mixture
Example 1: for a blend of gases (R-404A) consisting fully of HFCs:
44 % HFC-125 (GWP=3500), 52 % HFC-143a (GWP=4470), 4 % HFC-134a (GWP=1430):
Σ (44 % x 3500) + (52 % x 4470) + (4 % x 1430) → Total GWP = 3922
Example 2: for a blend of gases (R-413A) containing also non HFCs:
88 % HFC-134a (GWP=1430), 9 % PFC-218 (GWP=8830), 3 % Isobutane/R-600a (GWP=3):
Σ (88 % x 1430) + (9 % x 8830) + (4 % x 3) → Total GWP = 2053.19
How to calculate the CO2 equivalents
Example: the CO2 equivalents of 1kg R-404A shall be 1kg ×3922=3.922 Ton CO2 equivalent
Label example (for one appliance with both factory charge and charge outside the manufacturing site, with foam blown with fluorinated greenhouse gases):
This equipment contains fluorinated gases Refrigerant: R-404A GWP: 3922 CO2 equivalent= 3922 ×1.5 /1000=5.883 Ton Factory Charge: 1 kg Additional Change: 0.5 kg Total Charge: 1.5 kg Foam blown with fluorinated greenhouse gases |
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