One of the refrigeration industry’s best known figures, Ray Gluckman, has launched a new consultancy specialising in refrigeration, energy efficiency and climate change.

Based in Cobham in Surrey, Gluckman Consulting Limited will provide companies, trade bodies, government and EU organisations with specialist advice and support in relation to the impact of refrigeration on the environment, and the implications of new legislation for the sector.

Specific areas of expertise include alternative refrigerants, impact assessments for regulatory change, energy audits, leakage reduction strategies and change management for major end users, such as retailers and operators of industrial refrigeration.

Mr Gluckman has played a leading role in the industry’s response to climate change over the past 25 years. In the early 1990s, he wrote the watershed March Consulting report on UK refrigerant usage, which quantified for the first time the scale of leakage from refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.

A follow-up report, commissioned by the UK government in 1995, provided the first inventory of emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases.

Mr Gluckman also played a key role in F-Gas Support, the body set up by the government to assist the industry in implementing the F-Gas Regulation. Most recently, he advised the European Commission on the impact of proposed new regulations as part of the European-wide F-Gas review.

He said: “The industry has been on a long journey in terms of the environment and climate change, and it continues to this day. It has been a bit like getting a super-tanker to change direction, and it has taken time to get to grips with change. That is now well under way and major strides have been – and continue to be - made. Under the new EU F-Gas Regulation, change will need to accelerate.”

He continued: “The latest developments, particularly the phase-down in the use of HFC refrigerants, have very significant implications for end user companies and the equipment supply and contracting industry. Some crucial decisions will have to be made over the next few years, as major investments in cooling plant will have to take account of the ever-tightening squeeze on HFC availability.”

The new consultancy will offer specialist advice and support in four key areas: F-Gas, refrigeration energy efficiency, refrigeration design and Climate Change policy.

“2015 is an important year for refrigeration and air conditioning users. The phase out of R22 will be complete, the new F-Gas Regulation comes into force and there are increasing pressures to improve energy efficiency. This is a crucial time for end users to review investments in refrigeration equipment,” Mr Gluckman added.

To contact Gluckman Consulting call 01932 866 344 or email ray@gluckmanconsulting.com