The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is reaching out to a wider audience to raise awareness of the importance of safe and responsible management of refrigerant gases.

With growing demand for air conditioning and refrigeration solutions in a warming world, the Association has developed an ‘F-Gas Awareness’ short training course in conjunction with affiliate member Mitsubishi Electric. It is designed to help anyone linked to the sector improve their knowledge of this important area.

The need to keep buildings cool has also been highlighted by recent extreme weather events around the world and a new report from the UK’s Climate Change Committee. However, the leaking of fluorinated gases used in many cooling technologies can damage the ozone layer and contribute to global warming.

This is covered by the European F-Gas Regulation, which the UK is continuing to ‘mirror’ despite its departure from the EU. It includes measures that will radically change the type of refrigerant gases companies can use and the skills and technologies they will need in the future.

The new BESA Academy F-Gas Awareness course has, therefore, been designed to give participants a basic introduction to F-Gas terms and regulatory requirements and a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of engineers and clients.

It is primarily aimed at office staff in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump companies, but would also be useful for anyone who engages with engineers and customers, and/or is responsible for updating and renewing employees’ technical certifications.

The short course will cover some of the tasks an F-Gas certified engineer must complete, including the importance of not allowing fluorinated gases to leak into the environment. It will also summarise the key regulatory requirements and what this means for both technicians and clients.

This short online course can be completed in approximately 90 minutes and leads to a downloadable CPD certificate. It costs £15 plus VAT for BESA and REFCOM members as well as well as members of Mitsubishi Electric’s partner programme. The cost to non-members is £25 plus VAT.