Klima-Therm and Cool-Therm have teamed up to start reconditioning and exporting R22 chillers to developing countries, including China and India.
After replacing R22 chillers used in the UK with modern equipment, London-based Klima-Therm and Bristol-based Cool-Therm are to recondition-and-export the R22 plant abroad to tap into a new financial opportunity.

The use of HCFCs in developing countries is permitted under the Montreal Protocol long after (10-15 years) the phase-out being imposed in Europe under EU rules. The firms say the financial benefits of selling on rather than scrapping the R22 plant is passed onto the client, resulting in a savings in capital outlay.

Both firms' engineers will ensure all R22 plant destined for export is inspected and reconditioned prior to shipping overseas.

Klima-Therm’s refrigeration engineering workshops in Wimbledon will be used as a servicing and pre-export test centre for outgoing R22 plant.

The firms expect to start exporting the R22 plant to countries in South America as well as India and China in the coming weeks.

Ian Mundie of Klima-Therm said “Recent research suggests that up to 65% of all installations still depend on R22. That is an extremely high figure. From our own experience, we know that there is a huge amount of plant out there still running on R22.

“With a European-wide ban on the use of new R22 for topping up systems coming into force in 15 months time, and the cost of R22 rising steeply, end users could find themselves in serious difficulties if they do not grasp the nettle now.

He said 'The replace-and-export option helps cushion the upfront investment required, and delivers immediate and ongoing savings in running costs.”

Ken Strong of Cool-Therm said “The approach results in a win-win situation. UK end users get modern, high efficiency replacement systems that cost less to run and maintain, and for a reduced capital outlay; and overseas end users get low cost reconditioned cooling systems that help meet the urgent need for industrial development to drive their own economies'.

In the EU, use of R22 and R22-containing blends has been banned in new plant. The next stage is a ban on the use of “virgin” or new R22 for topping up existing systems – which comes into effect from the end of 2009. After that date only recycled R22 may be used to top up plant. After the end of 2014, top-up with any R22 will become illegal.