BESA releases new technical bulletin on flammable refrigerant gases

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has alerted the industry to the growing safety risks posed by the increased use of flammable refrigerant gases in air conditioning and heat pump systems.

Published in time for this year’s World Refrigeration Day, the Association’s latest technical bulletin (TB57) points out that there are currently no UK regulations governing the purchase and installation of systems using R290 (propane) because, as a hydrocarbon, it falls outside the scope of the F-Gas Regulations.

BESA notes that propane use is growing rapidly and is expected to accelerate further as refrigerant gases with higher global warming potential (GWP) are phased out.

European Union rules and UK adoption

Under new European Union rules, stationary split air conditioning and heat pump equipment with capacities below 12kW will be required to use F-gases with a GWP below 150 from the start of 2027.

For larger systems, the GWP must be below 750.

This regulatory change means the most commonly used refrigerants in these systems will be phased out and replaced by R290 in many smaller systems.

Although the UK is not bound to EU legislation, it is expected to adopt similar rules due to its commitments under the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment, aimed at minimising the global warming impact of refrigerant gases.

BESA acknowledges that while R290 is an effective refrigerant with low GWP and high heat transfer performance, its high flammability poses a significant safety risk during installation, maintenance, and retrofitting.

Safety and training for engineers

BESA is calling for all technicians and engineers working on R290 systems to receive appropriate specialised training for handling flammable refrigerants.

Keegan Farrelly, BESA technical engineer, emphasised: “Working with R290 raises major concerns due to its highly flammable nature.

It is classed as an A3 gas, which is the highest level of flammability and means it could even be ignited by static electricity.”

Farrelly added: “With a flammability limit of just 1.7%, even a very small amount of R290 in a room is enough to pose an ignition risk.

“Most properly qualified engineers could work perfectly safely with this gas, if they have undergone training that covers the specific technical challenges and risks of working with flammable gases.”

BESA’s technical bulletin highlights the specific risks from the growing number of heat pump installations using R290 and the need to carry out extensive risk assessments for both new and retrofit applications.

It also stresses the importance of ensuring the area around the unit is well-ventilated.