Effective since 31 May 2017, the European EN378 standard provides guidance for companies who design, install, operate and maintain air conditioners, heat pumps and similar systems that use refrigerants. Based on the access characteristics of occupied spaces into which a refrigerant could leak, and an assessment of the refrigerant’s toxicity and flammability, refrigerant charge limits are set and safety measures are prescribed to mitigate risk in the possible event of a refrigerant leakage. Access categories range from general access areas, such as hotels, restaurants and shopping areas, to more restricted supervised and authorised areas. The location of refrigerant systems follows a classification of four classes, where VRF systems are typically defined as Class II, either located in a machine room or in the open air. Subject to the available ventilation in rooms, additional measures may be needed such as mechanical ventilation or detectors. Samsung offers specialist support to professionals in the design of cooling and heating installations. Please contact your Samsung representative to enquire about support in aligning your project design with the requirements of the EN378 standard. EN378 standard Since March 2024, the new F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 has taken effect. The F-gas Regulation aims to control the emissions of F-gases used as refrigerants to reduce their impact on global warming. The revision brings new rules, including future bans on certain types of F-gases in products and a quota system to limit the total amount of F-gases placed on the market in Europe. Due to these changes, the industry will invest the coming years in new technologies to use refrigerants with lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) and in some applications use only non-fluorinated refrigerants. Samsung is contributing to the transition towards lower GWP refrigerants, such as R290, and will continue to invest in alternatives. From 2025 onwards, the phase-down of F-gas quota will speed up, gradually reducing the amount that can be used in applications in Europe. By 2050, there will be no F-gas quota to place new products on the market, resulting in a complete phase-out of such refrigerants for new installations. In parallel, products bans will start from 2025 and 2027 for split and monoblock heat pumps and air conditioning systems. F-Gas regulation million-tons CO₂ equivalent F-gas Quota 2021 2024 2027 2030 2033 2036 2039 2042 2045 2048 2050 0,0 10,0 20,0 30,0 40,0 50,0 60,0 70,0 80,0 90,0 Previous New 25
