shecco launches GUIDE⁺ on HFC taxes & fiscal incentives for natural refrigerants in Europe

Which country had the highest tax on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in Europe in 2013 and what can industry expect in 2014? Where in Europe can businesses receive tax relief for investing in a new climate friendly refrigeration system using natural refrigerants? And where can end-users count on green grant schemes for their investments in climate friendly refrigeration solutions for the local supermarket?

To answer these questions shecco has launched a new publication "GUIDE⁺: HFC taxes & fiscal incentives for natural refrigerants in Europe". The new GUIDE⁺ provides a comprehensive overview of existing and proposed fiscal measures in key European countries, aimed at reducing the use and emissions of HFCs in HVAC&R sectors while encouraging the switch to climate-friendly technologies.

shecco’s new publication clearly shows that the transition to climate-friendly natural refrigerants has started and some European states are ready to look for additional ways to speed up this transition.

This GUIDE⁺ provides valuable information regarding where the opportunities lie for implementing sustainable refrigerant solutions that end-users and technology providers alike can reap and help the market for natural refrigerants to grow further” said lead author Alexandra Maratou. “It is also - we hope - a source of inspiration for policy makers drawing future policies for sustaining our atmosphere”.

Taxes on HFCs

The first two chapters of the publication focus on HFC taxes in countries where such environmental taxes are already in place, have been previously proposed or are currently under consideration. One of the first countries to introduce an environmental tax on HFCs was Denmark. In place since 2001, the Danish f-gas tax in 2013 reached €20.10 per ton of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂eq). The new GUIDE⁺ publication, provides detailed information in terms of current, future or possible tax levels (in €/tCO₂eq as well as per kg of commonly used f-gases) for Denmark, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Poland, France and Sweden.

Investment grants & tax relief schemes for natural refrigerants

Instead of taxing the use of HFCs, some countries in Europe have leaned in favour of providing financial incentives for investments in climate friendly technologies using natural refrigerants. While differing in scope, technology, budget and level of support provided, all these financial incentives have a common goal: to incentivise end-users to invest in energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies using natural refrigerants, to reduce emissions of HFCs.

While Austria and Germany have introduced investment grants at the state level, six regions in Switzerland, together with the Flemish Region of Belgium, have their own regional level green investment support schemes. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom have taken a slightly different approach by providing accelerated tax relief for environmentally friendly investments.

More about the new GUIDE⁺

"GUIDE⁺: HFC taxes & fiscal incentives for natural refrigerants in Europe” is the first publication under shecco’s new GUIDE⁺ series, which will offer special, in-depth analysis on topics relevant for the natural refrigerant industry and will be available for purchase on shecco publications website.