20 October 2021
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Ben Bartle-Ross of Mitsubishi Electric on the importance of the right learning and support.
In January, the latest phase of the F-Gas (Fluorinated) phasedown was implemented which sees the air conditioning and refrigeration industries utilising refrigerant with lower global warming potential (GWP).
The industry is now facing tighter supply restrictions on these gases in the coming months and there is also an upcoming EU legislative review next year, which is expected to push the EU market even further towards greener, lower, GWP alternatives.
For anyone looking at working in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry, training on the regulations needed is therefore an essential requirement.
Online equipment training
As a manufacturer of equipment that utilises refrigerants in our air conditioning, heat pumps and chillers, we’ve long been a strong advocate of ensuring engineers are fully trained to handle the equipment. This means in terms of designing, installing, commissioning and maintaining our equipment.
For our part, we quickly moved to an online platform when it was clear that on-site, classroom-based training could no longer happen during the COVID pandemic.
And it’s fair to say that this training has gone exceptionally well and we’ve now had over 3,000 engineers attend virtually, since re-launching our training last July.
F-Gas training
But we’ve not been able to offer F-Gas training ourselves, unless we chose to become an accredited centre.
However, we realise that legislation and regulations are going to get stricter in the coming years, so we always promote F-Gas qualification amongst our customers.
That’s also why we have partnered with the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) so that we can help promote the right learning and the right support.
A quick Google search will bring up several training providers offering full F-Gas certification so there are many other avenues that engineers can take to achieve the right qualification.
For us, though, BESA has been a beacon of support over the past couple of years and stand out as thought-leaders. They led the way for example, supporting the industry during the various lockdowns with fantastic updates and live webinars that kept everyone up to speed on the latest government guidelines and industry thinking – So much so that their COVID response is currently shortlisted for several industry awards.
So, if you want any sort of future in the air conditioning or refrigeration industry, then do yourself a favour and sign up for one of their online courses now. Check out the available courses by following the link at the end of this post.
F-Gas awareness
A short online course that will provide you with some of the F-Gas terms and regulatory requirements which must be adhered to, by those working in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry.
F-Gas Category 1 renewable
Aimed at air conditioning and refrigeration engineers who are approaching the end of their 5-year certification period for Cat 1 or want to ensure they are up to date with the latest mandatory requirements.
F-Gas Category 2 renewal
This course is aimed at air conditioning and refrigeration engineers who are approaching the end of their 5-year certification period for Cat 2 or want to ensure they are up to date with the latest mandatory requirements.
Working with flammable refrigerants
Environmental legislation is driving the sector towards lower GWP refrigerants and engineers are increasingly being asked to deal with and handle flammable refrigerants. This course will upskill qualified F-Gas engineers to ensure that they are aware of the specific requirements which must be applied when handling these refrigerants.
Online F-gas certificate renewals
BESA introduced the scheme at a time when the constraints of the pandemic made it difficult for some engineers to renew their licence, but the online training also helps engineers in outlying areas who previously needed to travel large distances to attend an accredited centre.
The service is to open to anyone whose existing F-Gas certificate is valid or expired within the last 12 months. Certificates accepted are BESA, CITB, C&G and Logic4training.
Users of the service will also need to provide current evidence of F-Gas category 1 or F-Gas category 2 working on live RACHP systems. This would include a signed statement of eligibility from the applicants employer, or self-declaration if self-employed, and two commissioning/log sheets. Once the eligibility documents have been checked and validated by BESA, the applicant can re-certificate online at their own pace.
- Ben Bartle-Ross delivers training courses on both air conditioning and heat pumps for Mitsubishi Electric.
