I think you're right Theo - I believe that's the exact reason for the inflated prices. I read somewhere that the UK has about 4,000 F-gas qualified people, and the demand is expected to be over 20,000 by 2027.
I'm not sure that the non F-gas refrigerants are the solution. They are much more environmentally friendly, but are highly flammable - R290 is propane! The flammability means that the total amount permitted in the in the system is much lower - see https://check-mark.co.uk/info/basics/refrigerant-safety/

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On Sat, 20 Apr 2024 22:45:03 +0000, Hyper-pop wrote:

> I think you're right Theo - I believe that's the exact reason for the
> inflated prices. I read somewhere that the UK has about 4,000 F-gas
> qualified people, and the demand is expected to be over 20,000 by 2027.
> I'm not sure that the non F-gas refrigerants are the solution. They are
> much more environmentally friendly, but are highly flammable - R290 is
> propane! The flammability means that the total amount permitted in the
> in the system is much lower - see
> https://check-mark.co.uk/info/basics/refrigerant-safety/

Ammonia is an efficient refrigerant used in food processing and
preservation, as well as many other refrigeration and air-conditioning
processes. Ammonia has desirable characteristics as a refrigerant, which
have been well known for over a century. It is corrosive and hazardous
when released in large quantities.