Switzerland: Updated requirements for equipment for air conditioning, refrigeration and heat production

 

Switzerland has published Ordinance of the Federal Council concerning amendments to annexes 2.10 of the Ordinance on the Reduction of Risks relating to the Use of Certain Particularly Dangerous Substances, Preparations and Articles (Chemicals Risk Reduction Ordinance, ORRChem, Fedlaw number: SR 814.81).

The purpose of this revision of the Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance (ORRChem) is to contribute to limit the use and emission of fluorinated greenhouse gases. This revision constitutes an adaptation to the current European legislation (Regulation (EU) 2024/573) and is adapted to the state of the art in Switzerland.

The Ordinance expands the existing market and production bans on certain equipment containing stable refrigerants to include additional installations and devices where substitutes without stable refrigerants are available according to current technology. The targeted installations and devices are as follows:

• Appliances for the refrigeration and freezing of food and perishable goods
• Appliances for cooling or heating rooms
• Appliances for cooling or heating processes
• Mobile air conditioning installations in motor vehicles, rail vehicles, or ships
• Mobile refrigeration installations for transporting food or perishable goods
• Monosplit installations (air conditioning and heat pump) with a refrigerant charge of less than 3 kg per circuit, if the refrigerant has a global warming potential (GWP) of 750 or more
• Self-contained installations for the refrigeration and freezing of food and perishable goods, if the refrigerant has a GWP of 150 or more
• Installations for cold production not equipped with a cooling circuit, if (a) they have at least three evaporator units and a cooling capacity of more than 80 kW, (b) they have more than 40 evaporator units, or (c) they are self-contained and the refrigerant has a GWP of 150 or more

Exceptions to the market and production bans are provided under certain conditions, such as when no substitutes are available according to current technology or when norms prohibit the use of non-stable refrigerants. An additional exception is provided for installations and applications with an evaporation temperature below -90°C.

The Ordinance also includes other regulatory adaptations:

• Prohibition of filling with refrigerants that have a GWP of 2500 or more
• Installations containing a refrigerant charge equal to or greater than 500 tons of CO2 equivalent must have a leak detection system with a warning function
• Recovered refrigerants that can no longer be refilled into stationary installations are classified as special waste.

To find out more about compliance for emission of fluorinated greenhouse gases, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.