Freezing HFC emissions, Reduction of HFC-emissions in commercial refrigerationin the Netherlands by the STEK- regulation - an actor study

This research aims to define the main reasons for success of the Dutch HFC emission reduction system, called the STEK regulation. Besides that recommendations are formulated to successfully implement similar regulations in other European countries. This STEK regulation was introduced in 1992 because of the Montreal protocol and started with the regulation of CFCs. Later on, HFCs, considered alternatives for CFCs, were also included in this regulation. HFCs, unlike CFCs have, no significant ozone depleting potential. However they do have a global warming potential. The contribution of HFCs to the total GHG emissions is projected to increase from 1% currently to 4-10% in the future. Total costs to reduce global warming can decrease if HFC emissions are reduced. The highest HFC emissions occur in the commercial refrigeration sector. The Dutch STEK system has succeeded in reducing the emissions from refrigerators from 30% to about 5% by introducing an administration and control system. The most important characteristics of this regulation are: • All organizations and personnel working with refrigerants should be certified. • All owners of an installation containing more than 3 kg refrigerant should only contract certified installers for installation, maintenance and repair. • All installations should be checked on a regular basis. • The use of HFCs should be administrated. In 2006 a similar regulation was in 2006 introduced throughout the EU. This European ‘F-gas regulation’ should be implemented in the individual member states in 2009, therefore 2008 seems a good moment to look back at the fifteen years experience in the Netherlands to investigate possible lessons for the EU regulation. To find the main reasons for success the actor system of the commercial refrigeration sector was researched, by means of web search and literature search. After mapping this system the most important actors were defined and interviewed. These interviews were used to investigate the main reasons for success and to find more information about the differences in opinions. The interview results show that the most important factor for success is thought to be the strong enforcement in the introductory years of STEK. Furthermore STEK lead to a higher environmental awareness in the sector, this resulted in an intrinsic motivation to comply with the STEK regulation. Another important reason is that the quality of the sector improved. The biggest disadvantage was found to be the relatively high administrative burden. This lead to extra costs that were, according to some actors, too high. The actors were asked to give their opinion on the success of different ways to reduce HFC emissions. The answers differed a lot. Especially on the expected cost-effectiveness big differences exist. Differences in expectations can influence the speed or direction of innovations. The work resulted in the following recommendations for further research to be able to really give an impression of the success of the EU regulation: • Identify the intention of the different member states on enforcement for this regulation • Define the opinion of the actors in other countries to identify the differences in opinion among the EU countries. To successfully introduce similar regulations in other countries the following aspects should be taken into account: • Strong enforcement during introduction. • The advantages (better environment, better installations) should be emphasized.